A commendation event is held to celebrate International Nurses Day in Ningbo, East China's Zhejiang province, on May 11. [Photo/cnnb.com.cn]

Zheng Shanjie, secretary of the CPC Ningbo Municipal Committee, recently thanked the city's nurses for their long-term dedication to saving lives.

Zheng made the remarks during a commendation event to celebrate International Nurses Day in the city on May 11. 

He commended the nurses for their bravery amid the novel coronavirus outbreak both in Ningbo and Wuhan, speaking highly of their significant contributions to disease prevention and control efforts. 

He urged them to consistently improve their vocational skills so as to provide people with higher quality medical services.

The Party chief also called for more measures to encourage people to respect and care for nurses. 

Qiu Dongyao, mayor of the Ningbo Municipal People's Government, urged them to stay alert in order to avoid a resurgence of COVID-19 cases as the pandemic continues to spread overseas. 

International Nurses Day, which falls on May 12, was established in 1974 by the International Council of Nurses to commemorate the birth of Florence Nightingale, who is considered the founder of modern nursing, in 1820. 

As of the end of 2019, the number of nurses registered in Ningbo stood at 31,466, an increase of 42 percent over 2015.