‘Hard work, honesty & empathy embedded in Kerala’s social fabric’

New Delhi: Congress leader Rahul Gandhi on Tuesday called for committing to build a healthcare system that supports, respects, and empowers nurses, asserting that their voices “must guide our priorities” as India’s healthcare future depends on it.

The Leader of Opposition posted a video on his social media account of his recent interaction with nurses from Kerala and said the conversation reminded him of the quiet strength that holds the healthcare system together.

“I recently had the privilege of interacting with a group of nurses from Keralam working here in Delhi. The conversation reminded me of the quiet strength that holds our healthcare system together,” Gandhi said in his post accompanying the video.

Asserting that nurses are the foundation of the healthcare system, Gandhi said their dedication, selflessness, and empathy are what give families the courage to entrust their loved ones into someone else’s care. In many ways, they are the human face of medicine, he said.

“During our interaction, I asked them a simple question: Why are nurses from Keralam so widely respected across India and the world? Their answer was equally simple: hard work, honesty, and empathy. These are not just words. These are values deeply embedded in Keralam’s social fabric,” Gandhi said.

The state has consistently invested in education, healthcare, and human development, creating generations of professionals who carry these values wherever they go, the former Congress chief said.

“But there were serious concerns as well. They spoke about the shortage of trained nurses in India. In some

government hospitals, around 15 nurses manage over 100 patients in a ward, far from safe global standards. This directly affects the quality of care our people receive,” he said.