On Monday, May 12 – International Nurses Day – the Kurdistan Nursing and Midwifery Development Center (NMDC) held the first annual Kurdistan Nursing and Midwifery Award Ceremony at their headquarters in Erbil.

Originally established in the United States, the Erbil-based charitable organization works for the advancement of nursing and midwifery in the Middle East through development activities, projects, research, advocacy, and advisory services. 

More than 100 nurses, midwives, and officials attended the event, including representatives from the Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) Ministry of Health and the Kurdistan Health Workers Syndicate.

Eva Said, Founder and Executive Director of the NMDC, told Kurdistan Chronicle that “as an organization focused on nursing and midwifery, we have always been aware of the lack of recognition of nurses and midwives for their work in hospitals, in primary healthcare, and in the government and nongovernmental sectors. We have decided that we would like to recognize, honor, and reward those nurses and midwives on an annual basis.

“The Kurdistan Nursing and Midwifery Award Ceremony has different categories, recognizing nurses in practice, education, research, leadership, and primary healthcare, with midwives recognized in a separate category.”

The NMDC is planning to hold the award every year, Said explained. “We plan to combine the celebration of International Nurses Day, May 12, and International Midwives Day, May 5, and present awards to the nominated nurses.”

For the award, they had over 100 nominations from across the Kurdistan Region.

“We received nominations from across the region and established a committee representing our partners – the KRG Ministry of Health, the Syndicate of Health Workers, and the NMDC. Together, we reviewed all the nominations.

“Nursing and midwifery are professions that need support and development. The fact that we’re holding this event and that people will attend is a testament to the recognition of nurses and their importance to society and healthcare,” Said added.

Last year, the NMDC opened the purpose-built facility on Baharke Road for training, development, research, and community engagement. “We’ve been open since January 2024 – just over a year now,” she stated. “Before that, we operated in other locations.

“Today, we’ll be presenting nine awards, including to four nurses, one midwife, and one nursing and referral leader, as well as a special award for outstanding contribution to the nursing and midwifery professions.”

During the award ceremony, Dr. Yasir Mohammed Amin from Duhok was given the award Nurse of the Year for his role as a team leader and his efforts to improve the healthcare system. “I am grateful for the invitation from the NMDC,” Amin said.

Amin told Kurdistan Chronicle that he works in the Clinical Skills Training Center in Duhok. “We provide training for nurses, focusing especially on childbirth, neonatal resuscitation, and care for premature and newborn babies.

“We began providing practical training for all nurses as well as guidelines for their work. Previously, we didn’t have nurses with bachelor’s degrees or scientific training, so we initiated that process. Now, we teach each procedure based on established guidelines.”