Bhubaneswar, Feb. 19: The society at large had a taste of the dedication of nurses during the Covid pandemic which caused widespread havoc across continents, Saswati Das, Vice-President of Siksha ‘O’ Anusandhan (SOA), said on Wednesday.
Speaking at the Oath Taking and Lamp Lighting ceremony held at the SUM Nursing College (SNC), faculty of nursing of SOA Deemed to be University here, for the first year B.Sc. (Nursing) and General Nursing and Midwifery (GNM) students, Das praised the role played by nurses in the realm of healthcare.
Das said the ceremony would inculcate the spirit of service among the newly inducted students who have chosen nursing as their career. She also gave away prizes in different competitions in which students of the institute had taken part.
Two African students finished among the top three in the personality contest in women’s section organised on the occasion. While Lihle Thandolwothusibondza from Swaziland was crowned Miss SNC, Faith Likandomuneu from Zambia was felicitated as 2nd runner up. Debasmita Das became the 1st runner up.
Kanta Mohanty, Member of the Governing Body of the State Adoption Research Agency (SARA), who was the special guest on the occasion, said that the day would serve as a day of remembrance for the students for the rest of their lives.
Referring to the latest developments in technology, she advised the students to focus more on emotional intelligence rather than artificial intelligence.
Prof. (Dr.) Braja Kishore Dash, Director of Medical Education and Training, Prof. (Dr.) Sanghamitra Mishra, Dean of Institute of Medical Sciences and SUM Hospital, Prof. (Dr.) Pusparaj Samantasinhar, Medical Superintendent of IMS and SUM Hospital and Prof. Amrita Lenka, Secretary of Odisha branch of SOMI, also addressed the gathering.
Prof. Sasmita Das, Dean of SNC, welcomed the guests while Prof. Prabhati Tripathy, Director of SNC, presented the annual report. Prof. Tapati Saha, Additional Dean (Placement and Training), also spoke.
Prof. Debajani Nayak, Associate Professor of the institute, administered the Florence Nightingale oath to the students. Prof. Manisha Praharaj, Associate Professor, proposed the vote of thanks.
