"Nurses Day on May 12th is dedicated to the women and men who are devoting their lives to caring for the health of humanity. They are in one of the noblest professions.

On this day I join the people of Seychelles in expressing our gratitude for their hard work and their love for the occupation. I take this opportunity to also thank all their co-workers in the Ministry of Health, and also those in private practices, for their care. The Seychellois nation, the government and I, greatly value their contribution to our wellbeing.

The theme for International Nurses' Day this year is "Closing the Gap from Evidence to Action". It reminds us that we need to constantly enable our nurses to acquire new skills as they increasingly assume a forefront role in the health care services. The health of humanity faces new challenges every day.  A culture of observation, gathering information, research and interpreting the evidence will help nurses, and indeed the entire health service providers, to find better ways of delivering the high standards of care.

Nurses are well placed in health care systems to help close the gap from evidence to action.  They are in  the community, by the patients' bedside, and next to the doctors. In Seychelles we are lucky that we have a highly versatile group of nurses who speak the language of the people, know their living environment and customs. We need to always provide the training opportunities in order to continually improve the skills of our nurses. The theme Closing the Gap from Evidence to Action actually renews the call for the acquisition of new knowledge derived through research. Better knowledge can lead to the adoption of innovative practices in health care delivery. There is more efficient utilization of precious resources which may be needed to cope with emerging health challenges.

A good nurse should be ready to learn more.  Our nurses can count on government for the resources to boost their career.

I once again urge our nurses to avail themselves of the training opportunities.

I wish all nurses, all health workers, a happy Nurses' Day. We are grateful for their love and empathy."