Mattarella: "Nurses are the army of good"

The President of the Republic Sergio Mattarella spoke in Rome at the ceremony for the centenary of International Nurses Daysending a strong message of gratitude towards healthcare personnel and underlining the central role of the nursing profession in Italian society. “The nurses gathered in the various national associations constitute a real army of good. Today we celebrate the long journey in society and healthcare that your profession has achieved in our country”, declared the Head of State.

Solidarity and care as civil values

In his speech, Mattarella highlighted how solidarity e treatment represent fundamental values ​​of civil coexistence: “Taking care of others is an essential part of our well-being, our safety, the quality of our life”. The President also reiterated that the work of nurses is “the driving force of universality of the right to health”, underlining the importance of care without social or racial discrimination.

The person at the center of assistance

According to the President of the Republic, the heart of the nursing profession remains the person: “Treating the person and not just the disease is an area that changes perspective”. In an increasingly technological healthcare context, nurses become “a decisive pivot” of the national health system.

Lack of staff and training

Mattarella then called attention to the staff shortage: “Nurses are today 462.000. We know that this is an insufficient number compared to the care needs of the populations.” He therefore underlined the need to invest in training and in professional recognition to prevent qualified young people from fleeing abroad.

The universal right to health

In the passage dedicated to public healththe Head of State defined the universal right to health “a cornerstone of our democracy”, reiterating that they cannot exist territorial disparities in access to care, especially in the internal areas of the country.

From Florence Nightingale to current conflicts

The President also recalled the figure of Florence Nightingalepioneer of the nursing profession born in Florence in 1820, connecting her example to the contemporary dramas of conflicts and health emergencies. In particular, he cited the work of health workers a Gazadefining as “heroic” the gestures made by colleagues working in territories devastated by war.

The memory of the pandemic

Mattarella recalled “the immense sacrifices” experienced by healthcare personnel during the emergency and criticized those who today tend to minimize the severity of the pandemic: “Some would like to downgrade it to little more than a slight flu, leading to forgetting the often heroic efforts and suffering of doctors and nurses”.