BS RAWAT
NEW DELHI : President Ram Nath Kovind has said that the demand for professional caregivers for the elderly is on the rise and nurses' training institutions can consider developing short training programs for them.

The President was speaking at an event to present the National Florence Nightingale Awards to 36 nurses for their selfless service and significant contributions towards public health.

"The world is in more and more need of care and compassion and nurses indeed are a symbol of 'sewa'. The country is proud of your quality and cost effective healthcare service," Mr Kovind said.

The President said, "In India, families take care of the elderly. However, with changing lifestyles, the demand for professional caregivers to take care of the elderly is on the rise.

Lini P. N. from Kerala, who died due to Nipah virus infection in May last year, was awarded posthumously for her "exceptional services in taking care of patients during the Nipah virus outbreak in Kerala".

Other nurses who were awarded include Dusu Rinya (Arunachal), Anita Devi (Assam), Rupa Kumari (Bihar), Soma Ramnath (Goa), Kailashben Solanki (Gujarat), S. Latha (Karnataka), Alka Shrivastava and Sunita Lawrence (MP), Rimis Suchiang (Meghalaya), Mamata Bhoi (Orissa), R. Hemlatha (Puducherry), P. Kalaiselvi (TN), Asha Gajare and Chhaya Patil (Maharashtra), Arupa Saha and Sandhya Jana (WB), Rashmi Pathak (D & N Haveli), Khrielakhonuo Angami (Nagaland), K. Annalakshmi (A & N Islands), Darivemula Vinna  (AP), Shobhna Pathania (Chandigarh), Beena Malhotra, Achala and Brig Usha Devi (Delhi), Sunita Jakhar (Haryana), Haseena Parveen ( J&K), Sobhana N (Kerala), Mohd Salih (Lakshwadeep), Maibam Ranita Devi (Manipur), Tejinder Kaur (Punjab), Satish Gupta (Rajasthan), Aska Salome (Telangana), Sikha Dev (Tripura), Sunita Rawat (UK), and Susheela Devi (UP).