SKIMS nurse wins prestigious Florence Nightingale Award

14 September 2024

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Srinagar, Sep 14: Dr Tabasum Irshad Handoo, a nurse at Sher-i-Kashmir Institute of Medical Sciences (SKIMS) Soura, has been honoured with the prestigious Florence Nightingale Award for her extraordinary contributions to the medical field. A resident of Buchpora in Srinagar, she has been serving at SKIMS for over two decades.

Speaking with the news agency—Kashmir News Observer (KNO), Dr Tabasum expressed her happiness at receiving the award, saying, “It shows that your work is being recognised.”

Dr Tabasum said her educational journey started with Presentation Convent School, Rajbagh, and matriculation from DAV Higher Secondary School, Jawahar Nagar (Girls’ Wing). “I graduated from the Government College for Women, MA Road, Srinagar. After earning my Diploma in Nursing from SKIMS, I briefly worked there before moving to Saudi Arabia, where she served for seven years,” she said.

Upon her return, Dr Handoo transitioned to the Department of Education, earning a BEd and an additional BA in English Literature. “However, I felt unfulfilled and rejoined SKIMS in 1999. Over the years, I worked in various clinical areas and realised her desire for higher education,” she said, adding, “Despite having three children, I pursued Post Basic BSc in Nursing, followed by an MSc in Nursing (Obstetrics/Gynecology) from Jamia Hamdard University, New Delhi, in 2012.”

Her career has spanned numerous roles, including Stoma Nurse, Hospital Infection Control Nurse, and tutor at the College of Nursing, where she has served as both a deputed and visiting tutor. In 2023, Dr Tabasum completed her PhD on promoting natural childbirth preparation, a study aimed at reducing Caesarean section rates among antenatal women. Her research has been published in several national and international journals.

Dr Tabasum has also made contributions during crises, especially during the COVID-19 pandemic, where she played a key role in setting up COVID and quarantine wards, as well as during the 2014 floods when SKIMS was one of the few functioning health facilities. She has also advocated for women’s empowerment and girls’ education, delivering talks on these issues on All India Radio and Doordarshan (DD Kashir).

“In May 2021, I trained 140 NDRF personnel in first aid nursing care in a 10-day workshop, preparing them to manage the COVID-19 crisis during the surge of the Delta variant,” she said.

Sharing her message to nurses, Dr Handoo highlighted the importance of compassion and quality patient care. “It is not just about giving an injection; nurses need to provide evidence-based care,” she said, adding that one should continuously learn and enhance skills to better serve society.

Dr Tabasum received the National Florence Nightingale Award from the President of India, Droupadi Murmu, in recognition of her meritorious service. Instituted by the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare in 1973, this prestigious award honours outstanding nurses and nursing professionals for their service to society.

—(KNO)