International Nurses Day 2024 theme announced! Our Nurses. Our Future. The economic power of care

The economic power of care which creates healthy people and societies and drives healthy economies, will be highlighted by the International Council of Nurses (ICN) on International Nurses’ Day (IND) 2024 under the theme: Our Nurses. Our Future. The economic power of care.

International Nurses Day (IND) is celebrated on 12 May each year and a theme is chosen by ICN – a federation of more than 130 national nursing associations around the world, representing the over 28 million nurses working worldwide.

ICN President, Dr Pamela Cipriano explained the reasoning behind the chosen theme:

“Despite being the backbone of health care, nursing often faces financial constraints and societal undervaluation. Continuing our overarching theme Our Nurses. Our Future. and the policy actions of the ICN Charter for Change, ICN has chosen to focus IND 2024 on the economic power of care with the aim to reshape perceptions and demonstrate how strategic investment in nursing can bring considerable economic and societal benefits.

We believe now is the time for a shift in perspective. We have seen time and again how financial crises often lead to budgetary restrictions in health care, typically at the expense of nursing services. This reductionist approach overlooks the substantial and often underemphasized economic value that nursing contributes to health care and society as a whole.

Policymakers, health care administrators, and even the general public are often unaware or misinformed about the return on investment that adequate funding in nursing can provide, especially in financially turbulent times such as these. Drawing from the lessons learned from the COVID-19 pandemic and recognizing the increasing threat to the health of populations around the world due to conflicts, the climate crisis and financial instability, we believe the time is right to advocate for a shift in perspective and policy.”

A special IND report on the economic power of care will be released on 12 May 2024. In the meantime, we encourage nurses, governments, international organizations, influencers and the general public to help us promote the power of nursing by sharing and posting the IND logo, available here, using the hashtags #IND2024 and #OurNursesOurFuture