30 Sep : The Military Nursing Service is celebrating their 83rd Raising Day on 01 Oct 2008 all over the country in the hospitals of Army, Navy & Air Force.
Nursing in Indian Army commenced with the arrival of a batch of British Nurses in 1888 to serve the British troops. During the World War I, Nursing Services for the Indian Troops Hospitals was sanctioned with an interim establishment of 55 nurses. These nurses served in Indian and British troop’s hospitals in India, Aden, Mesopotamia and Egypt and on hospital ships.
On 01 Oct 1926, a permanent nursing service for the Indian troops was formed and was designated as Indian Military Nursing Service (IMNS). With the outbreak of World War II the IMNS further expanded and great improvement were noticed in the hospitals where the nurses served, patients were better cared for and wards were efficiently run. The Indian Military Nursing Service was raised by an ordinance in Sep 1943. The members of the service become commissioned officers in Military Nursing Service (India) and were referred to as the Officers of Military Nursing Service.
Today there are seven schools of Nursing for Diploma programme and one college of Nursing for undergraduate and post graduate training in Nursing. Students are trained in these institutions and are commissioned in to the Military Nursing Service as regular and Short Service Commissioned Officers.
The Military Nursing Service has proven its worth at each step of development, by rising to the multitude challenges, tasks and demands of the health care sector over these 83 years. The fortitude and unstinted services of the MNS officers has won them many laurels both in India and in UN Peace Keeping Missions.
Military Nursing Service distinguished itself as one of the best in the country because of their exceptionally professional approach, highly committed attitude with missionary zeal and human touch keeping with the motto “Service with Smile”.