Kerala nurse Lini PN, who died treating Nipah patient, honoured with National Florence Nightingale Award-2019

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Lini PN, the nurse from Kerala who died due to Nipah virus that she contracted while treating a patient last year during the Nipah outbreak, was posthumously awarded National Florence Nightingale Award-2019.

The award was presented by President Ram Nath Kovind on Thursday in New Delhi and it was received by Lini's husband Sajeesh P.

President Kovind presented the National Florence Nightingale Awards to nursing personnel yesterday on the occasion of International Nurses Day.

Speaking on the occasion, the President said, "Nurses play a vital role in delivering quality and cost-effective healthcare, addressing multiple health challenges and responding to the health needs of individuals, families and communities."

He further added that the world is more in need of care and compassion, and nurses indeed are a symbol of 'seva, shushrusha, karuna'. For patients and their families, nurses are the face of healthcare services.

The President was happy to note that the World Health Organisation (WHO) has announced 2020 as the Year of the Nurse and Midwife.

"We have an increasing number of elderly people who deserve and require proper geriatric care. In India, families take care of our elders in their old age. However, with changing lifestyles the demand for professional caregivers to take care of the elderly is on the rise. These care-givers, who need not be trained nurses, would certainly benefit from basic training in geriatric care. Our nursing training institutions can consider developing short training programs for such caregivers too," said President Kovind.