KOCHI
Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan was among those who praised the community of Malayali nurses for their tender loving care and globally recognised competence as the Ernakulam Government Nursing School celebrated a century of a great tradition.
Inaugurating the celebrations at the Ernakulam Town Hall, Mr. Vijayan said Malayali nurses were the first to be sought out by healthcare providers across the world. It is a testament to their skills, dedication, and quality of service.
He said nurses should remember that they are the followers of Florence Nightingale with the precious gift of curing touch, spreading the light of humane care-giving. He remembered those who put their lives on the firing line while providing care during Nipah and COVID-19 outbreaks. He said Lini, who made the supreme sacrifice caring for the Nipah-affected, had not faded from memory.
The story of professional care-giving began with the arrival of Sisters of Charity, a group of nuns of the Italian religious order, in Kochi at the behest of Angel Mary Perez, the Archbishop of Varapuzha, on a request from King Rama Varma Valiya Thampuran of Cochin, who wanted the assistance of professional nurses to take care of those afflicted by a spread of viral diseases.
The archbishop’s request to the Italian sisters was supported by efforts by Joseph Attipetty, who was in Rome completing his studies then. He was later ordained the Archbishop of Varapuzha. The first batch of four nuns were followed by two others, who together began providing formal nursing training in 1924 to students in Kochi through what is today the Ernakulam Government Nursing School.
The institution followed the General Nursing For England and Wales syllabus and trained helpers at the hospital and selected nuns. The institution was later recognised by the Madras Nursing Council and later by the Indian Nursing Council.
Nursing school principal Geetha P.C. said the institution began admitting 40 students in the first year from 2023, raising the number from the previous level of 32. The school plays a vital role in the healthcare sector in the State and is an example of providing quality education and training.
Meanwhile, Kerala Region Latin Catholic Council vice president Joseph Jude said it was wrong to have left out of the celebrations the successors of nuns in the religious order, which paved the way for formal nursing training in the State. He also recalled that Sisters of the Holy Cross had begun formal care for the sick at Kottiyam, near Kollam, 117 years ago.
However, sources in the Government Nursing School here said nobody had been neglected or sidelined in the centenary celebrations. They said proper and formal invitations had been sent out, and the bishop’s house was approached and invited to the celebrations well ahead.
