International Nurses Week‚ May 2012

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to commemorate International Nurses Week‚ May 2012

Voices of Nursing Leaders from West Africa

The Inaugural Conference of the Commonwealth Nurses Federation (CNF) was convened in London, UK in March 2012 and attended by nearly 200 delegates from 27 Commonwealth nations. Representatives from NIGH — who are based in Canada — presented and participated. Dr. Deva-Marie Beck’s Keynote pdf is available here . At this Conference, NIGH collaborated with six West African nursing leaders — from Cameroon, Ghana, Nigeria and Sierra Leone — interviewing them on a number of key topics related to nursing and global health. Included here are introductory video excerpts of these interviews — created to celebrate International Nurses Week, in May 2012.

Featuring Nigeria “I would encourage nurses to encourage other nurses…that by giving encouragement to do what they know how to do, this is how to bring a good result for everybody!” Dr. Ugochukwu’s CNF Conference presentation, “Meeting the Health-Related MDGs: Challenges and the Way Forward” is downloadable here .
Dr. Chika Ugochukwu, RN, RM, RGN, PhD, FWACN, is President of the West African College of Nursing, as well as a Senior Lecturer at the Department of Nursing Sciences, University of Nigeria, Enugu Campus. Photo courtesy of NIGH.
Featuring Ghana Watch excertps from Mr. Asante-Krobea’s video interview>> “Nurses and midwives constitute the largest population of professionals all over the world across the health care continuum. So much responsibility is given to nurses and we must ensure that if much is given to us, much will be expected from us.”
Mr. Kwaku Asante-Krobea, RN, is Nurse Educator and serves as the current President of the Ghana Registered Nurses Association. He is also the Principal of the Ghana Perioperative & Critical Care Nursing School. Photo courtesy of NIGH.
The Ghanian group of 13 nursing leaders who attended the Inaugural Commonwealth Nursing Conference in London, UK — joined by Andrea Spyropoulos, President of the Royal College of Nursing, front row, second from the right. Photo courtesy of CNF.
Featuring Ghana Watch excerpts from Mrs. Ofori-Amporo’s video interview>> “Nurses, actually, we have the numbers and when things are done right we can impact greatly on the health of every nation and the health of every nation is the world — and we should focus on that!”
Mrs. Perpetual Ofori-Amporo, RN, MSN, is a Nurse Educator in Accra, Ghana, and currently serves as the General Secretary of the Ghana Registered Nurses Association. Photo courtesy of NIGH.

Ms. Elizabeth M. J. Conteh is a Registered General Nurse, Public Health Nurse & Midwife. She currently serves as Chair of the Organization of Sierra Leonean Healthcare Professionals Abroad. She is a Surgical Nurse in London, UK and a Discharge Planning Advisor for the UK National Health Service. Photo courtesy of NIGH.

Featuring Sierra Leone

Ms. Elizabeth Conteh is collaborating to achieve an exemplary project to encourage and fund nurses — and other health professionals — from Sierra Leone to return to their home country — volunteering their time and talent to their people.

“Our main aim is to contribute to improving the health care of the people of Sierra Leone by diaspora volunteering in capacity building, training, mentoring and catering equipment for needy hospitals.”

The Sierra Leone group of 3 nursing leaders who attended the Inaugural Commonwealth Nursing Conference in London, UK. Photo courtesy of CNF.

The Cameroon group of 5 nursing leaders who attended the Inaugural Commonwealth Nursing Conference in London, UK. Photo courtesy of CNF.

Featuring Cameroon

Watch excerpts from Mr. Ayunwi Ngwa’s video interview>>

“This message goes to all other nurses. We can go to where we want to go. And to do this, you have to be determined, you have to be focused, you have to be self-disciplined. When we put all of this into practice, nursing will be the profession that all of us will want to have!”

Mr. Kingsley Ayunwi Ngwa, RN, BSN is a Graduate Student at the Liverpool School of Tropical Medicine, UK and a Staff Nurse at the Bafut District Hospital in the Northwest Region of Cameroon. Photo courtesy of NIGH.

Featuring Cameroon

Watch excerpts from Mr. Pale Isa Ndognjem’s video interview>>

“In order for the world to be better, we should take the views of each and every person in consultation— because humans are diversified and different. We cannot ignore the contribution of each of the people in creating a better world for all of us.... The situation in which we find ourselves is a global environment. What is affecting Chad is affecting the US. What is affecting South Africa is affecting Britain. So we are definitely going to work together in order to create a better world for all of us!”

Mr. Tita Pale Isa Ndognjem, RN, BSc Nursing Science, is a Head Nurse of the Surgical Unit and a Nurse Tutor at the University Teaching Hospital in Yayounde, Cameroon. He also serves as Public Relations Officer for the Cameroon Nurses Association and is an honoured Fellow at the Commonwealth Nurses Federation. Photo courtesy of NIGH

Features Focus

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In 2008 & 2009, Asoka Roy’s family created a Platinum Sponsorship of the Nightingale Declaration Campaign to honor the memory of their sister — a pioneering nurse & midwife in both India & the United States. Projects developed from this contribution included an India-wide outreach of the Nightingale Declaration dedicated to Asoka’s memory.
See: An Indian Nightingale
Generous Support of Drs. Rustum & Della Roy