On May 12 each year, the world celebrates the International Nurses Day , in appreciation of the "angels of mercy" and the profession of giving and humanity.

In 1974, May 12 was chosen to celebrate the International Nurses Day, as it marks the birth anniversary of Florence Nightingale, who was known as the founder of modern nursing. She fought to lay the foundations and laws to protect the nursing profession and worked on developing it.

Also, she was called the " The Lady with the Lamp" because she used to go out in the dark heading to the battlefields, while holding a lamp in her hand in order to search for the wounded and injured to help them, during the Crimean War 1854, where her distinguished role at that time helped in reducing mortality rates among soldiers from 40 to 2%.

The marking of the International Nurses Day (IND) this year coincides with the outbreak of COVID-19 pandemic around the world. The issue has been required arduous efforts by the nursing staff to care for patients infected with the virus.

The nurses, indeed, represent through their participation in the Corona pandemic prevention teams the first front-line to protect the citizens’ lives against this virus.

Moreover, nurses play a pivotal role in the medical system, which embodies the meanings of dedication, sacrifice, compassion and humanity in their providing permanent help to the patient.

The year 2020 will always be associated with the great efforts exerted and sacrifices given  by the nursing staff worldwide. We really thank nurses, appreciate and express our gratitude for the great efforts they have exerted for better health for all of us.

Egypt celebrates the International Nurses Day through the Central Agency for Public Mobilization and Statistics (CAPMAS) , as the Agency displays a number of statistical indicators for the numbers of the nursing staff in the government and private sectors, members of the nursing Syndicate,  graduates of nursing colleges and graduates of the technical institutes of nursing. Following is the statement of CAPMAS on the International Nurses Day:

-Total number of members of the nursing staff in Egypt increased in 2018 by 3.5% compared to 2017.

- Total number of members of the nursing staff who are actually working reached 221.06 thousand nurses in 2018 compared to 213.6 thousand nurses in 2017, with an increase rate of 3.5%.

-The total number of nursing staff already  working in the government sector is 196686 ones  in 2018 compared to 191351 in 2017, with an increase of 2.8%.

-Total number of nursing staff already  working in the private sector (hospitals and medical facilities that do not have an internal clinic) is 24,379 nursing staff in 2018 compared to 22232 ones  in 2017, with an increase of 9.7%.

-The total number of members of the Nursing Profession Syndicate is 25,950 members in 2018 compared to 247830 members in 2017, with an increase of 2.1%.

-The total number of graduates from Nursing Colleges is 6378 graduates in 2018 compared to 5213 graduates in 2017, with an increase of 22.3%.

​

-The total number of Nursing Technical Institutes is 3489 graduated in 2018 compared to 3679 graduates in 2017, with a decrease of 5.2%, and the total number of Nursing Schools’ graduates reached 11991 in 2019 compared to 11079 graduates in 2018, with an increase of 8.2%.