Nurses of the No. 1 People's Hospital of Zhejiang Province smile when receiving flowers from patients May 11, 2004 on the eve of the International Nurses Day. In China, nursing has played an important role in the country's public health cause. By the end of 2002, China had nearly 1.266 million nurses, accounting for 29.4 percent of the country's medical workers.

Nurses of the No. 1 People's Hospital of Zhejiang Province smile when receiving flowers from patients May 11, 2004 on the eve of the International Nurses Day. In China, nursing has played an important role in the country's public health cause. By the end of 2002, China had nearly 1.266 million nurses, accounting for 29.4 percent of the country's medical workers.