2026 - Military Nursing Service | Commemorative Coin

A commemorative coin of ₹100 will be issued to mark the Centenary Celebration of Military Nursing Service. The Ministry of Finance has issued the gazette notification on September 28, 2026.

The Military Nursing Service (MNS) occupies a distinctive place in the history of India’s Armed Forces, representing a long tradition of nursing care to military personnel in peace and during war. Its history goes back to the late nineteenth century, when organised nursing was introduced into military hospitals in British India.

The origins of the service can be traced to March 1888, when the first batch of ten qualified British nurses arrived in Bombay to organise nursing in military hospitals. This marked the beginning of organised military nursing in India. The service was subsequently designated the Indian Army Nursing Service in 1893 and, in 1902, became associated with the Queen Alexandra’s Military Nursing Service.

The early development of military nursing took place within the wider colonial military medical system. Historical research has noted that the introduction of trained female nurses was intended to improve the care of soldiers in British military hospitals, although the nurses initially faced limitations in their professional status, working conditions and position within the military medical hierarchy.

The First World War brought a major expansion in military nursing. Nurses served in hospitals in India and overseas, including areas connected with the campaigns in Mesopotamia and Egypt, as well as on hospital ships. Indian nurses also began to enter the service during this period. The Government of India records that nurses were enrolled in India for the first time in 1914 and attached to the Queen Alexandra’s Military Nursing Service.

A significant milestone came on October 1, 1926, when a permanent nursing service was formed for the Indian Army and designated the Indian Military Nursing Service (IMNS). This date subsequently became associated with the Raising Day of the Military Nursing Service. The service continued to expand, particularly during the Second World War, when the demand for trained military nurses increased considerably.

Another important development occurred on September 15, 1943, when the IMNS was permanently established as part of the Armed Forces through a military ordinance and its members were granted commissioned officer status. This was a significant step in the institutional development of military nursing and in the history of women serving as commissioned officers in the Indian Armed Forces.

Following Independence, the service continued as part of the Indian Armed Forces Medical Services. Over the decades, the Military Nursing Service developed its role beyond wartime nursing to include patient care, hospital administration, training, professional nursing education and healthcare support across military hospitals. The service has also contributed to United Nations peacekeeping missions and responded to public-health challenges.

The Military Nursing Service has therefore evolved considerably from the small group of nurses who arrived in Bombay in 1888. Its history reflects the development of professional nursing within the military medical establishment and the expanding participation of women in India's defence services. Today, the MNS remains an all-women officer corps within the Armed Forces Medical Services, with its officers providing nursing care to serving personnel, veterans and their families in military healthcare institutions. The service continues to observe October 1 as its Raising Day, marking the establishment of the permanent Indian Military Nursing Service in 1926.