The Aga Khan University’s Division of Nursing Services will hold a ceremony to commemorate the International Day of the Midwife (IDM) and International Nurses Day (IND) on May 12. In a statement issued on Tuesday by the AKU Public Affairs Department, it was stated that nurses and midwives around the world celebrate the International Day of the Midwife on May 5 and International Nurses Day on May 12 each year, Florence Nightingale’s birthday, in order to raise awareness about their respective roles in global health care. The theme for this year’s IDM – ‘The world needs midwives today more than ever’ – reaffirms the simple yet evident truth that midwives save lives. Strengthening the role of midwifery and nursing has become essential for the global effort to tackle health care challenges, especially maternal, newborn and infant mortality. Meanwhile, the theme for this year’s IND – ‘Closing the gap: From Evidence to Action’ – reiterates the fact that nurses are constantly faced with challenges in finding ways of delivering best possible care. They have a professional obligation to provide care that is grounded in new knowledge derived through research which is constantly reviewed and validated.