Why was Nurse's Day in Mexico previously January 6?

Today is a very important date and not only because children can play with the gifts that the Three Wise Men brought them. It is also Nurse's Day in Mexico... or at least it was until 2021. It is a date to recognize a union that is too important in the field of health. But although this celebration has changed, it is necessary to review the origin of the event.

Cap, lamp and white uniform are the hallmarks with which the members of this area of ​​health can be recognized. Some elements remain to this day while others have had to be modified as their clothing. What does not change is the relevance of the work that thousands of people do around the world on a daily basis.

The origin of everything

Now, it is important to mention that January 6 was originally designated as Nurse's Day in Mexico. The idea arose in 1931 and the person in charge was Dr. José Castro Villagrana, then director of the Hospital Juárez de México. According to the doctor, "nurses were a gift from the Magi for the sick." For this reason he chose this special day to recognize his work.

Since then, this day is used to celebrate and congratulate one of the most important health guilds.

To take into account, according to the Nursing Human Resources Administrative Information System, there are currently more than 300,000 nurses registered in Mexico.

Conventionally, nursing is thought to be an exclusive profession for women, but this is not entirely true. To date, 15 percent of the staff in this area is made up of men and the percentage increases every year.

For its part, based on the Ministry of Health (SSa), Mexico City, the State of Mexico and Jalisco are currently the entities with the most nursing personnel in the country.

recent changes

While in Mexico Nurses and Nurses Day is commemorated every January 6, internationally it is different. At the initiative of the World Health Organization (WHO), May 12 was designated to recognize this profession. The reason is because it is the date of the anniversary of the birth of Florence Nightingale, who is considered the forerunner of modern professional nursing and creator of the first conceptual model that remains to this day.

While in 2021 the modification of this date was published in the Official Gazette of the Federation so that Nurses' Day in Mexico coincides with the celebration of the rest of the world.