Feng Ling, a nurse at Zhongnan Hospital of Wuhan University (WHU), has been awarded the prestigious Florence Nightingale Medal. She is the first nurse from Hubei province to receive the honor and was chosen to speak on behalf of the seven Chinese awardees at the award ceremony held at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing.

Feng Ling delivers a speech at the award ceremony held at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing.

The Florence Nightingale Medal, established by the International Committee of the Red Cross, is the highest international accolade in the nursing field. It is awarded biennially to recognize outstanding achievements and dedication in nursing. This year, 35 nurses from 17 countries received the award, with China having the highest number of recipients at seven.

Feng Ling began her career in infectious disease nursing in the 1990s and was one of the first nurses in Hubei to care for HIV/AIDS patients. Over the past 35 years, she has cared for more than 10,000 patients and, along with her team, helped hundreds of HIV-positive mothers give birth to healthy babies. In 2020, she played a crucial role in the country's first kidney transplant for an HIV-positive patient and established related nursing protocols.

Feng also initiated the "Nightingale Volunteer Service Team" at her hospital. By 2024, the team had grown to over 1,000 members, including doctors, nurses, and compassionate young people from various fields, contributing more than 7,600 hours of volunteer service.

In her speech, Feng emphasized that the honor is not just a personal achievement but a recognition of all Chinese nursing professionals. She highlighted that the award comes with responsibility and a mission, urging her peers to uphold the spirit of the Red Cross and Florence Nightingale, and to contribute to building a healthier China.