LUCKNOW, May 13 -- Every day in hospital wards across Lucknow, nurses handle responsibilities that extend far beyond medical care - monitoring critically ill patients, comforting anxious families, assisting doctors during emergencies and ensuring round-the-clock support for those undergoing treatment. International Nurses Day, observed annually on May 12 to mark the birth anniversary of Florence Nightingale, highlights the role nurses play in the healthcare system and the emotional as well as physical demands associated with the profession. On the occasion, nurses from leading medical institutions in the city shared experiences from their years of service, speaking about patient care, emotional challenges and the realities of working in high-pressure hospital environments. Bhavna Bhatt, a staff nurse at Sanjay Gandhi Postgraduate Institute of Medical Sciences (SGPGIMS), has spent years working in the paediatrics ward, caring for newborns and infants. Over time, she says, emotional attachment to young patients becomes inevitable. "The ward has children from newborns to one-year-olds. Besides being a nurse, I am also a mother, which is why I feel emotionally connected to every child under my care," she said. Bhatt recalled moments when mothers of admitted infants briefly leave the ward and children begin crying inconsolably. "At such moments, I hold them close to comfort them. Sometimes, I even assist in feeding them with the support of other mothers in the ward. Every mother's heart responds to a child's suffering in the same way," she added. For Bhatt, nursing is not confined to medical care alone, as supporting financially struggling families also brings emotional satisfaction. "Helping such people gives me immense peace. I feel grateful that God has given me the opportunity to serve humanity through my profession," she said. Restoring trust in healthcare At the King George's Medical University's (KGMU) respiratory medicine department, nursing officer Satyendra Kumar works in an environment where infectious diseases such as Covid-19 and tuberculosis continue to pose risks. Apart from attending to patients, Kumar also oversees oxygen supply, electricity, water and sanitation arrangements to ensure uninterrupted treatment facilities in the department. "The moment I report for duty, attendants of several underprivileged patients are often waiting outside the department, worried about their loved ones," he said, adding, "I try my best to assist them in every possible way." Kumar said he also wants to change the perception many people have regarding government hospitals. "I want to ensure that no patient has to run from one place to another for treatment. When patients recover and return home safely, the smiles on their faces become the biggest reward for me," he added. For Archana Sharma, a staff nurse at the kidney transplant unit of SGPGIMS, the memories of the Covid-19 pandemic remain deeply personal. Sharma contracted Covid three times while on duty, and during the second wave, her condition became severe enough for her to be admitted to the hospital herself. Recalling an emotional moment from that period, Sharma said, "There was a 12-year-old girl admitted in the same ward. Every morning, she would cry for her mother, while I longed for my own daughter. I cared for her with the same affection I would give my own child." She added that whenever children are admitted to the ward, she treats them with the same warmth and affection as members of her own family....