INSUBCONTINENT EXCLUSIVE:
KATHMANDU, MAY 12The World Health Organisation South-East Asia Region has stressed the need for all the countries
globally and in this region, including Nepal, to increase investment in nurses, midwives, and other frontline health workers in an attempt
to build a resilient, primary health care-oriented health systems that would meet the needs of individuals and communities.
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- Water for all
According to a press statement on
the occasion of the International Nurses Day today, New Delhi-based WHO Regional Office of the region has now met and surpassed the original
WHO threshold of 22.8 doctors, nurses and midwives per 10,000 popula-tion
Although the region is still short of the global benchmark density of 27.4 nurses per 10,000 population, it has a relatively young workforce
that can and must be rapidly scaled
All member states, including Nepal, continue to implement national action plans to strengthen the nursing and midwifery workforceand are
committed to acceleratingprogress based on the 12 policy priorities and four strategic directions - education, jobs, leadership and service
delivery - of the Global Strategic Directions for Nursing and Midwifery, adopted at the 74th World Health Assembly in 2021.
The International Nurses Day follows the May 5 cele-bration of the International Day of the Midwife
health".As per WHO Regional Director for South-East Asia Dr Poonam Khetrapal Singh, since 2015 the region has increased the availability of
andaccelerating reductions of maternal, neonatal and under-five mortality."Of specific importance to today's celebration - and to achieving
several Sustainable Development Goal targets, including on health and well-being for all and gender equality - is the need to invest in the
leadership skills of both young and senior level nursesand midwives, with the overall aim of strengthening workforce governance, management,
service delivery and input into health policy."According to Dr Kshetrapal Singh, evidence shows that by empowering nurses in health
services, policymaking and administrative works can improve the quality ofcare and achieve better health outcomes, including fewer
hospital-acquired infections, reduce costs, and increase staff retention and innovation."Increased investments in nursing and midwifery will
have lasting economic benefits, which are especially important to help recover from the COVID-19 pandemic, as well as achieve SDG8, promote
inclusive and sustainable economic growth, and provide full and productive employment and decent work for all
The health and social care sector is one of the largest and fastest growing employment sectors in the world, particularly in lowand
middle-income countries, and especially for women," she said.A version of this article appears in the print on May 13, 2022, of The
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