A wing at AKU School of Nursing is named after the earliest Muslim nurse

Among the earliest Muslim nurses was Rufayda al-Aslamiya, born around 620 CE in Arabia. Her father was a physician from whom she gained clinical experience although she could not perform duties held by men such as surgeries. She practised her skills in field hospitals set up in tents during many battles to treat the wounded soldiers. She devoted her life to caring for the sick and promoted healthy living in the community. A wing has been named after her at the School of Nursing in Karachi, founded by His Highness the Aga Khan.

At the ceremony inaugurating the new wing, His Highness stated:
“When this institution was founded, one of the concerns which the original advisers had shared with me… was that the university should not only teach, but it should relate properly to the society in which it lives so that the work of its faculty, of its students, would benefit the wider community in which this institution functions…one of my aspirations was that this School of Nursing will achieve such a dimension in competence, in knowledge, in research, that it would become a reference point for the nursing profession in Pakistan, and not just for students.”
His Highness the Aga Khan
Karachi, Pakistan, November 22, 1996

The School of Nursing was inaugurated in 1981. Its aim was emphasized by His Highness the Aga Khan at the ceremony:

“The School of Nursing’s primary mission is to raise the standards and standing of the profession itself, so that it is accorded the recognition and prestige earned and deserved by the women whose working lives are dedicated to the demanding and honourable task of caring for the sick. We are confident that the nurses in our hospital will be rewarded with respect, appreciation and remuneration that their integrity and loyal commitment justify. The key note to the school’s philosophy is excellence.”
His Highness the Aga Khan
Karachi, Pakistan, February 16, 1981
Speech published in Hikmat, July 1982

“…over the last fifteen years Pakistan’s professional licensing body has recommended that all medical colleges in Pakistan adopt AKU’s model of community based medical education. Similarly, the Pakistan nursing Council has adopted AKU’s nursing curriculum.”
His Highness the Aga Khan
Association of American Universities
Washington, DC, April 22, 2001
Speech at Press Centre, AKDN

“The School of Nursing is also in the vanguard as the Aga Khan University launches its first programmes outside Pakistan, in fulfilment of the provisions of its charter as an international university. The School is developing an initiative in Advanced Nursing Studies regionally in Eastern Africa, responding to the needs for advanced training in Uganda, Tanzania, and Kenya.

I am particularly proud that the School of Nursing is in a position to reach out to assist professionals in other developing countries.”
His Highness the Aga Khan
Archon Award ceremony of Sigma Theta Tau International
Copenhagen, Denmark,   June 7, 2001
Speech at Press Centre, AKDN

History and Vision of the Aga Khan University School of Nursing
The Aga Khan University School of Nursing (AKU-SON) was established in 1980, three years prior to the establishment of the Aga Khan University that received its Charter in 1983. AKU-SON became the first operational academic unit of the Aga Khan University and the first school of nursing in the country to be affiliated with a university.

Advanced Nursing Studies Programme
In response to requests from senior nursing leadership as well as health officials from public and private institutions in East Africa, AKU-SON established an Advanced Nursing Studies programme in the region.

The international activities of the AKU-SON, begun in 2001, now encompass East Africa, Syria, UK, and Afghanistan.

Sources:
Aga Khan University, School of Nursing and Midwifery
Aga Khan University, Partnerships and Collaboration
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Compiled by Nimira Dewji