Seven Chinese nurses were awarded the Florence Nightingale Medal, one of the highest international distinctions for nursing professionals, on Friday in recognition of their contributions to health and care.
Chinese Vice President Han Zheng, also honorary chairman of the Red Cross Society of China, presented the medals at the 50th Florence Nightingale Medal award ceremony held at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing.
A total of 35 nurses from 17 countries were honored this year, with China leading in the number of recipients.
The Chinese honorees include a nurse from the AIDS Clinical Training Center in the central China city of Wuhan, a senior medical volunteer with the Hong Kong Red Cross, and an emergency department nurse at a military hospital, according to the International Committee of the Red Cross. Vice Premier Liu Guozhong, also a member of the Political Bureau of the Communist Party of China (CPC) Central Committee, said in his speech at the ceremony that the seven recipients vividly demonstrated the Red Cross's spirit of humanity, compassion and dedication.
He called on nurses across the country to follow their examples, carry forward the fine tradition of saving lives and the spirit of Florence Nightingale, take an active part in the Healthy China initiative, and safeguard the health of the people with professional nursing.
Balthasar Staehelin, head of the International Committee of the Red Cross' (ICRC) Regional Delegation for East Asia, attended the ceremony and delivered a speech. Feng Ling, representative of the awardees, and Cong Xue, representative of young nurses, also delivered speeches respectively at the event.
More than 700 officials and representatives of health workers also attended the award ceremony.
Established by the ICRC in 1912, the Florence Nightingale Medal is an international honor awarded to exceptional nurses worldwide every two years. Since China first participated in the selection in 1983, 97 Chinese nurses have received this prestigious award.
Florence Nightingale (1820-1910) was a British nurse, statistician and social reformer who was the foundational philosopher of modern nursing.
Seven Chinese nurses awarded Florence Nightingale Medals in Beijing
The prolonged closure of the Rafah crossing has left thousands of Palestinians in Gaza unable to travel abroad for medical treatment, education or family reunions, according to residents and health officials.
For many in Gaza, the crossing is more than a border point. After months of near-total isolation, it has become a crucial route for patients seeking care abroad, students hoping to continue their studies and families separated by the conflict.
Health officials say the extended closure has taken a heavy toll. More than 1,000 patients are reported to have died while waiting for permission to travel overseas for medical treatment.
"Our lives are tied to the crossing. If it opens, it gives us life. If it stays closed, we remain in a state of clinical death. I’ve been in the hospital for one hundred days," said Haitham Al-Qanoua, an injured Palestinian.
Hospitals say tens of thousands of patients remain on waiting lists, including children and cancer patients in urgent need of specialized care that is unavailable inside Gaza.
"More than 20,000 citizens have completed referral procedures for treatment abroad and are waiting to travel. Among them are 4,000 children and 4,000 cancer patients. There are also extremely critical cases that require immediate medical evacuation," said Zaher Al-Wahidi, director of the Health Information Center in Gaza.
The closure has also disrupted education plans, leaving many young Palestinians unable to pursue studies overseas.
"I've applied for Ministry of Education scholarships to study abroad in Turkey and Hungary, but I wasn't lucky to get them. Going abroad would help my parents save the money they spent on me in this awful condition. Opening the crossing is extremely important so people can travel, go on with their lives, and for me to complete my education," said Saeed Masoud, a Palestinian student.
For many families, the closure has meant prolonged separation, with relatives stranded on opposite sides of the border.
"I'm waiting for the crossing to open to see my children and my wife. She, with my children, left Gaza to accompany her father who needed medical treatment after he was injured in an Israeli airstrike on Deir al-Balah. I haven't seen my family for nearly two years, and I miss them deeply," said Ayman Abu Shanab, a displaced Palestinian.
With the Rafah crossing still closed, patients in need of treatment abroad, students seeking to continue their studies and families separated by the conflict remain unable to travel.
Rafah crossing closure strands patients, students, families in Gaza
