12 May 2025

FOR ATTENTION     :   NEWS EDITOR

SUBJECT :                  INTERNATIONAL NURSES DAY 2025
DATE :                           12 MAY 2025

International Nurses Day is celebrated globally on 12 May each year. The theme for 2025 is: Our Nurses. Our Future. Caring for Nurses strengthens economies.

The South African Nursing Council, (SANC) the regulatory body for nurses in South Africa, would like to wish all nurses a happy International Nurses Day.

The 2025 International Nurses Day theme by the International Council of Nurses shifts focus to the health and wellbeing of nurses. It also underscores the critical role a healthy nursing workforce plays in strengthening economies, improving health systems, and ensuring better outcomes for communities and healthcare service users.

The SANC affirms the SA Government in its call for nurses to engage in advocacy and lobbying and to be involved in the development of any programme introduced to improve health services as it is nurses who have the practical knowledge of how health service delivery can be designed, coordinated and effectively implemented.1

Prof NG Mtshali, SANC Registrar and CEO highlighted the fact that as the world is celebrating this significant day, the SANC is prioritizing the education and training of nurses so that the needs of the country can be addressed with regards to the shortage of nurses in general and nurse specialists in

particular. The SANC, through its Impairment Committee, is also prioritizing support to nurses found to be unfit for practice with the aim to rehabilitate the nurse, improve their condition, and ensure they can safely return to practice.

“The well-being of nurses is of critical importance as they are often the first responders to healthcare needs and often the only health professionals accessible to many people within a community. If nurses are not able to take care of the sick healthcare service users, the sick would not be able to work and thus the economy is affected – hence the theme for 2025: Our Nurses. Our Future. Caring for Nurses strengthens economies,” says Prof Mtshali.

To all the Nurses who continue to selflessly provide high-quality care, your commitment to making life better for others is valued and inspiring.

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Issued by:

Ms. P. Moloi

Manager: Communication and Marketing

South African Nursing Council

E-mail: pmoloi@sanc.co.za

Website: www.sanc.co.za

Tel: 012 420-1017

Official Spokesperson and person to be quoted:

Prof NG Mtshali
Registrar and CEO: SA Nursing Council

For more information or to arrange for an interview with the Spokesperson, please contact Ms. P. Moloi on Tel. (012) 420-1017, email: pmoloi@sanc.co.za

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