Five Chinese nurses were presented with Florence Nightingale medals on Tuesday by Chinese President Hu Jintao at a ceremony in Beijing celebrating the 40th award of the Florence Nightingale Medal.

The nurses are: Liu Zhenhua, who cares for leprosy patients at a dermatological hospital in east China's Shandong Province; Chen Zheng, who has been working with the infectious diseases department at Beijing's Ditan Hospital for 40 years; Feng Yujuan from the Hong Kong Hospital Authority; Wan Qi from the General Hospital of the Tibetan Military Area Command; and Wang Yali from underdeveloped Dingxi City in northwest China's Gansu Province.

During the ceremony, the Red Cross Society of China (RCSC) was also praised for its contribution to humanitarian work, especially in fighting SARS and providing assistance to tsunami-hit countries.

Vice Premier Wu Yi urged the committees of the Communist Party of China and governments at all levels to continue their support of the RCSC and the Red Cross cause in China.

RCSC President Peng Peiyun said that she hoped all Chinese nurses and Red Cross workers would follow the example of the five awardees, working in the spirit of the Red Cross and improving their professional standards and service.

Florence Nightingale (1820-1910), a British nurse who dedicated her life to nursing, is regarded as the pioneer of modern nursing. The Nightingale Award, the top honor in international nursing, was established by the International Committee of the Red Cross in 1912 and is presented every two years. The RCSC first recommended medal candidates in 1983. Since then, 43 Chinese nurses have received the award.

President Hu Jintao is the Honorary President of the RCSC.

(Xinhua News Agency July 13, 2005)