Vatican City, May 12, 2020 / 05:30 am
The coronavirus crisis has shown that governments need to invest more in health care and employ more nurses, Pope Francis said Tuesday.
In a message marking International Nurses Day, the pope said the pandemic had exposed the weaknesses of the world's health care systems.
"For this reason, I would ask leaders of nations throughout the world to invest in health care as the primary common good, by strengthening its systems and employing greater numbers of nurses, so as to ensure adequate care to everyone, with respect for the dignity of each person," Pope Francis wrote in the message published May 12.
The pope noted that the World Health Organization has declared 2020 the International Year of Nurses and Midwives, and that Florence Nightingale, the founder of modern nursing, was born 200 years ago on May 12, 1820.