Wu Xinjuan, head of the nursing department at Peking Union Medical College Hospital, called for more care for nurses and more talent to join the profession at a news conference on International Nurses Day, which falls on May 12.

According to Wu, last year the number of registered nurses reached 4.45 million, an increase of 350,000 over 2018 and more than double the number from 10 years ago.

She spoke highly of the work done by nurses who came to Wuhan, Hubei province — epicenter of the country's COVID-19 outbreak — to assist in medical work and asked for more support and care for nurses from society.

"Nurses made up about 70 percent of the medical workers sent to Wuhan. Nurses were always seen on the frontline, either during the SARS outbreak in 2003 or the COVID-19 outbreak.

"It's hard work to be a nurse who needs to take care of patients in shifts for 24 hours a day and 365 days a year. Female nurses, who account for about 98 percent of the profession nationwide, also have responsibilities to children at home," she said.

She added despite the rising number of nurses, there is still a gap between supply and demand, especially in remote villages.

She suggested nursing schools promote the profession to the public, and that better pay and more promotion channels should be available to nurses to attract more people to join.