Meet Mangayarkarasi, the ‘Florence Nightingale' from TN's Virudhunagar

VIRUDHUNAGAR: Friday (May 30) marked the culmination of the journey which K Alamelu Mangayarkarasi of Virudhunagar embarked on 17 years ago as a nurse in a PHC in Arattavadi, a remote village in Tiruvannamalai that was infamous for its high number of home deliveries.
Mangayarkarasi, who is now serving in the government hospital in Srivilliputhur, has been honoured with the prestigious Florence Nightingale Award by President Droupadi Murmu at Rashtrapati Bhavan, in recognition of her exemplary contribution in several areas including obstetrics and family welfare. Speaking to TNIE, the 40-year-old recalled how her path to nursing began.
'I wanted to become a teacher but didn't get enough marks. So, I pursued diploma in General Nursing and Midwifery. During college, my mother Philomina would write letters urging me to see the value of this noble profession. Her words still motivate me,' she said.

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