Teks ucapan International Nurses Day Forum 2024 / Amir Heberd Abdullah

Good morning to all of you.
1. Alhamdulillah, let us extend our sincere gratitude to Allah S.W.T for giving us the opportunity to be here today for the International Nurses Day Forum 2024. I would like to thank the organizing committee for inviting me to officiate at this important event. I would also like to take this opportunity to extend a very warm welcome to all our guests from Institut Pergigian Perubatan Termaju (IPPT) and Kepala Batas Hospital. I am sure that at this congress there will be ample opportunities for the exchange of knowledge and experiences, development of networking for future collaboration, and discussion on improving nursing practice.

2. The theme chosen for the International Nurses Day 2024, “Our Nurses. Our Future. The economic power of care.”, is very close and relevant to nursing. Despite being the backbone of health care, nursing often faces financial constraints and societal undervaluation. The International Council of Nurses (ICN) has chosen the perfect theme to relate the economic power of care to reshape perceptions and demonstrate how strategic investments in nursing can bring considerable economic and societal benefits.

3. Financial crises often lead to budgetary restrictions in healthcare, typically at the expense of nursing services. Therefore, this reductionist approach overlooks the substantial and often underemphasized economic value that nursing contributes to health care and society as a whole.