Editorials
| Dr. Rowan Williams, Archbishop of Canterbury |
| Princess Muna of Jordan |
| Rev. Desmond Tutu, Archbishop Emeritus |
| Sir Michael Marmot, Chair WHO Commission of Social Determinants of Health and Dr. Ruth Bell |
| Caroline Worthington, Director, Florence Nightingale Museum |
| Mary Spinks, Director, Florence Nightingale Foundation |
| Wendy Williams, Ministry of Defence, UK |
| Deva Marie-Beck, co-Director, NIGH |
| Barbara Dossey, co-Director, NIGH |
| Baroness Cox of Queensbury |
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NIGH participates in WHO Nursing and Midwifery Consultation in Zambia |
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The drafting of recommendations to implement a framework for Scaling-up Nursing and Midwifery was the purpose of a Consultation of 60 leading nursing delegates, from around the world, gathered in Lusaka, Zambia, in early December. This was the third in a series of World Health Organization (WHO) Consultations, chaired by Dr. Jean Yan, WHO’s Chief Scientist for Nursing and Midwifery .
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Delegates of the third WHO Consultation on Nursing and Midwifery in Lusaka, Zambia
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The Nightingale Initiative for Global Health (NIGH) was represented in Zambia by Dr. Deva-Marie Beck, NIGH’s International Co-Director.
The Official Host of the WHO Consultation, Zambian Minister of Health, Dr. Brian Chituwo , opened the event . The Zambia delegation comprised of nursing services staff and nursing and nursing education delegates from across the country's health services sector. WHO Regional Nursing Advisors and delegates from the Global Network of WHO Collaborating Centres for Nursing and Midwifery also participated, as did nursing and nursing education representatives from international and regional organizations from the Middle East, Europe, South and North America and the South Pacific and leading nursing delegates from several nations of Africa. Development aid representatives from some western countries attended as observers.
The nursing delegates were charged by Dr. Yan to discuss and draft a critical "Framework" document that will be used to shape the World Health Organization’s official recommendations to address the worldwide nursing shortage crisis with specific “Scaling-up Action Steps” to be implemented at global, regional, inter-regional, country and local levels.
In her own opening address, Dr. Jean Yan challenged the audience to be: “Bold and to think outside the box as we recommend what the World Health Organization and -- indeed the entire planet -- must do to scale-up a sustainable nursing and midwifery workforce, worldwide.“
She noted that three of the eight United Nations Millennium Development Goals are directly related to attaining global health: Goal 4 -- Reduce Child Mortality; Goal 5 -- Improve Maternal Health and Goal 6 -- Combat HIV/AIDS, malaria and other diseases. She reminded them that the Islamabad Declaration -- crafted by the previous, 2nd Consultation in Pakistan in early 2007 -- was founded on the principle that efficient and effective Nursing and Midwifery services -- that are universally available -- are critical to actually attaining these Goals.
Outlining key causes of the severe worldwide nursing shortage, Dr. Yan called upon the nursing delegates to directly address several inter-related issues, including poor working conditions and lack of professional development and promotion opportunities. She noted that nurses and midwives are seldom included in key decision-making processes. They are often unsupported by their supervisors and are still burdened by inflexible working schedules. And, in too many cases, they fear violence in their workplaces. In many parts of the world the “braindrain” of nurse migration leaves poorer nations entirely destitute in nursing as well as other resources. And, most devastating of all, as they care for the sickest of among the world, nurses themselves are still sickening and dying from HIV/AIDS.
Citing recent World Health Assembly Resolutions 59.23 to “rapidly scale-up health workforce production” and 59.27 to “strengthen nursing and midwifery,” Dr. Yan called upon delegates to develop a series of bold “Action Plans” to achieve coordinated, integrated, collaborative and sustainable approaches to implement these Resolutions. Furthermore, she asked delegates to identify specific “Action Steps” to revitalize educational programs, to engage in partnerships to improve capacity and quality of education -- particularly in developing countries -- and to use innovative approaches to teaching and the overall use of information and communications technologies for scaling-up and sustaining nursing and midwifery capacities.
In response to Dr. Yan’s challenges, the "Zambia Consultation" crafted a draft “Framework” -- structured through five Themes: Faculty Development, Health Service Provision, Workplace Environment, Talent Management and Partnership. During the Consultation mornings, delegates discussed the five Themes and then each joined specific Theme Group Works to recommend “Action Steps” for the World Health Organization. NIGH’s Dr. Beck participated in the Partnership Group Work.
During the final plenary session of the WHO Consultation, Dr. Beck presented NIGH’s mandate -- to increase worldwide public awareness of nursing, midwifery and related health issues through the Internet and other innovative global communications and media strategies.
The “Zambia Consultation” was the third in a series of official WHO Delegations to address the “Scaling-Up Nursing and Midwifery” process. The first Consultation was convened in Geneva, Switzerland in 2006, where Dr. Beck served as Rapporteur. The second Consultation -- which developed the official Islamabad Declaration on Nursing and Midwifery -- was convened, with the Pakistan Health Minister hosting, in February 2007. During the first half of 2008, Dr. Beck will participate in two additional Consultations at the World Health Organization Headquarters in Geneva. These Consultations will take the Framework as drafted in Zambia to its final phase for planning and implementation of the “Action Steps” identified.
Read More: Extracts of the opening statement by Dr. Brian Chituwo, Zambia's Minister for Health
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