With an ambition to go global, the NEPNI Group of Institutions, a premier institute in Northeast India for education in nursing and paramedical sciences held its ‘Lamp Lighting and Oath Taking Ceremony cum Annual function’ on February 5, 2025 at the Srimanta Sankardeva International Auditorium in Guwahati. A lamp lighting and oath taking ceremony is a nursing tradition that marks a student's transition into the nursing profession. The ceremony honours Florence Nightingale, known as "The Lady with the Lamp". She was a British woman who led a group of female nurses to the Crimean War in 1854 to deliver nursing care to British soldiers. Upon her return to England, Nightingale successfully established nurse education programs in some British hospitals based on a set of ideas known as the “Nightingale Principles.”
A group of young nurses, 18th batch of GNM nursing, fifth batch of B Sc Nursing and the second batch of Physiotherapy were awarded degrees on the occasion. The chief guest on the occasion was Neera Shastri, member, National Council, BJP. Shastri is the daughter-in-law of former prime minister of India, Lal Bahadur Shastri. The guests of honour were Dr Ashok Puranik, Executive Director, IMS, Assam and Dr Avijit Basu, Registrar, Assam Nurses’ Midwives Health Visitors’ Council. The advisor of NEPNI, Mrinalini Devi was also present on the occasion.
Babul Ali, President of the NEPNI group of Institutions said that their goal is to produce healthcare professionals who can cope with the changing standards in global healthcare management, explore how innovations in technologies, biomedicine, organizations, and service delivery can strengthen India's health system. ‘We want to give exposure to our students so that they can work as medical professionals in different parts of the world. By exporting skilled nurses and paramedical staff to different countries of the world, we will also be able to generate revenue for the state and the country. We also impart classes on foreign languages in order to equip them to be part of any medical unit in the world. Earlier, South India exported skilled nurses and paramedics to the rest of the world. Now, Assam will take the lead with our initiative. We have already signed three MoU’s with Kuwait, Qatar and Saudi Arabia.’
NEPNI hopes to ignite a transformative movement that will reshape nursing education. The institution is accessible to the rural population as it is located away from the bustling Guwahati city. Nestled in the pristine rural surroundings in Alikash, Hajo Road in Kamrup district of Assam, NEPNI, since its inception in 2006, has been preparing nurses for leadership roles in public health and healthcare and has put in place as many as three institutes namely NEPNI SChool of Nursing, NEPNI College of Nursing and NEPNI College of Allied Health Sciences. Apart from nursing, the other courses include Physiotherapy, Radiography and Medical Lab Technology. NEPNI has well-equipped laboratories with necessary articles and apparatus as per standards laid down by Indian Nursing Council. This comprises of Nutrition Lab, Foundation Lab, OBG Lab and a Community Lab. NEPNI has a rich automated library of books, journals and magazines and a seating capacity for 80 students at a time. Bina Bora, the principal of the School of Nursing said, ‘Nursing is both an art and a science. It is a discipline that calls for both passion and compassion. We hope that our students will be able to get good placements and will be able to serve society and humanity.’
‘We are committed to creating an equitable society and we had instituted the NEPNI Award of Excellence which is awarded to prominent personalities who contribute to society in various sectors. The award is conferred every year on the Lamp Lighting and Oath Taking Ceremony in presence of eminent dignitaries,’ said Rashida Begum, administrator of NEPNI. In a bid to reinvent the healthcare delivery system, NEPNI offers high quality academic programmes as well as clinical and educational partnerships with various institutions and the community at large.
