President, health minister, US ambassador convey wishes to nurses

The Polish presidential couple, health minister and US ambassador to Poland conveyed their best wishes to nurses and midwives on the International Nurses Day on Tuesday. They also expressed their gratitude for their hard work during the coronavirus epidemic.

International Nurses Day is celebrated around the world on May 12, the anniversary of Florence Nightingale's birth.

In a spot published on social media, President Andrzej Duda and his wife, Agata Kornhauser-Duda, conveyed their best wishes and greetings to nurses and midwives. "You are standing in the first line of struggle for the health and life of all of us," the presidential couple said, describing them as heroes. They also said that "today's observances were to be different, but the COVID-19 pandemic had changed everything."

The president and his wife stated that the epidemic had hit coronavirus-infected people the hardest, but had also turned out extremely difficult for health service staff.

Health Minister Łukasz Szumowski expressed his gratitude to all nurses and midwives, "fighting every day for the health and life of their patients."

"Let me thank you for your work, commitment and sacrifice," he wrote on the Health Ministry's Twitter account.

Expressing her gratitude and wishes, US Ambassador to Poland Georgette Mosbacher wrote on Twitter: "Today is International Nurses Day. I have the utmost respect for Polish nurses who tirelessly care for their patients every day, despite facing hardships and risks due to #COVID19. You are true heroes. Thank you for all you do."