LONDON: The London hospital where Prime Minister Boris Johnson won his life-and-death battle against novel coronavirus celebrated the 200th birthday of Britain’s most famous nurse Florence Nightingale on Tuesday, reported Xinhua news agency.
Images of Nightingale, known as “Lady with the Lamp” and the pioneer of modern nursing and advancement in hygiene and sanitation, are being beamed onto St Thomas’ Hospital where Johnson went into intensive care after contracting the virus.
On the evening of Tuesday, which marks the International Nurses Day, images of Nightingale are scheduled to be projected onto the Houses of Parliament as a tribute 200 years after her birth, along with a message of gratitude to health care workers across Britain.
“No other time could be more appropriate to celebrate the birth of Florence Nightingale than right now when so many healthcare workers are putting their own lives at risk to treat patients with Covid-19. It is an honour to have her image projected onto Parliament as part of our national appreciation for the NHS and everyone who works for it,” said Speaker of House of Commons Lindsay Hoyle.
The celebration was led by the Florence Nightingale Museum and supported by Guy’s and St Thomas’ NHS Foundation Trust.
A number of pop-up hospitals, named after Nightingale, have been opened across Britain to prepare for Covid-19 patients. The biggest, in London, took nine-days to create with space for 4,000 beds. – Bernama
