British nurse, statistician, and social reformer Florence Nightingale's birth anniversary on Tuesday is observed as International Nurses Day and on behalf of the Communist Party of China Central Committee, General Secretary Xi Jinping extended his greetings to nurses across the country. He also urged Party committees and governments at all levels to take care of nurses, improve their incentive mechanism and publicize models to promote the cause of nursing in the country.

Apart from commemorating Nightingale, the idea behind observing International Nurses Day is to advocate and carry forward the legacy of the Lady with the Lamp, who braved dangers and made sacrifices as she went about rescuing wounded soldiers and saving lives.

Undoubtedly, this year's theme of "saluting the team of nurses and fighting the epidemic together" can help realize the essence of International Nurses Day.

The novel coronavirus outbreak has had a huge impact on Chinese people's lives. At such a critical juncture, nurses, unhesitatingly volunteered to fight the epidemic, protecting people's lives and health. By honoring the words of the Hippocratic oath to perform their duties"… for the rest of my life in a pure and holy spirit", they have won society's admiration and respect.

By expressing gratitude to nurses on International Nurses Day, people are acknowledging their contribution. However, giving nurses their due respect should not be limited to this specific day. As indicated by Xi, we should improve their incentive mechanism and felicitate those who have excelled in their jobs. Society as a whole needs to understand nurses and their contribution and push for a system that ensures nurses' rights and interests are protected. Although nurses are called the "angels in white", they may not be as well off as we imagine. A report published by the China Social Welfare Foundation in 2017 shows that 76.5 percent of nurses earn less than 5,000 yuan ($705.32) a month; only 4.5 percent earn more than 8,000 yuan a month. Given such low incomes, it is difficult for nurses to maintain a sense of dignity.

On the other hand, they undertake tedious work and are sometimes misunderstood by patients, endangering their personal safety.

While paying tributes to nurses on International Nurses Day is the least we can do, establishing an incentive system for them and giving them universal respect is what will be of greater use to them.