Croatia is holding several events on Friday to mark International Nurses Day on Friday when this year's Nurses Day is being celebrated under the slogan "Our Nurses. Our Future" worldwide.

May 12 is designates as International Nurses Day to commemorate the birthday of Florence Nightingale, who was born on 12 May 1820 in Italy. Nightingale was a British nurse who played a key role in improving the care of wounded soldiers during the Crimean War.

In Croatia, there are nearly 35,000 nurses and they make up the largest share in the healthcare labour force.

Today, nurses will hold several healthcare campaigns in Zagreb’s main square from 9 am to 1 pm.

All those activities are taking place against a backdrop of the demands of nurses’ unions for higher pay and better status of this profession.

About 1,000 nurses and non-medical staff from throughout Croatia gathered in Zrinjevac Park in central Zagreb on Thursday to demand higher pay and better working conditions, saying they could not wait until next year for their status to change.

“Nurses in primary health care are paid €700 a month, and those in hospitals €900 a month. Is that adequate pay for the work they do?” one of the unionists said at the rally.

Anica Prasnjak from the Nursing Union said that preparations for “a serious strike” would begin on 25 May if the government ignored their demands.