On Friday, the whole world celebrated International Nurses Day to honor the country’s nurses for the selfless, lifesaving work they do every day in health industry. More than half of the care workers in the Eastern Mediterranean region are nurses and midwives, according to the World Health Organization (WHO).
However, the region is responsible for 17% of the 5.9 million nurse deficit worldwide, as reported by the WHO in their report titled “State of the world’s nursing 2020: investing in education, jobs, and leadership.”
With a range of between fewer than one and more than eighty-one nurses per 10,000 residents, the region has the second-lowest density of nurses in the WHO.
The Covid-19 outbreak highlighted the need for an adequate health personnel in establishing robust care infrastructure. In order to meet the difficulties ahead, we must do something about the severe nursing and midwifery shortage in our region.
Investment in the nursing workforce is timely and imperative as we move toward universal health coverage (UHC) and other Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), including those related to education, gender, and economic growth, within the rapidly changing global health context, said Dr. Ahmed Al-Mandahri, the Eastern Mediterranean director for the WHO.
To protect health around the world, we must prioritize nurses’ safety and respect their rights.
To get universal health coverage by 2030, the globe would need an estimated nine million more nurses and midwives, according to the WHO.
WHO is taking steps to achieve healthcare goals
High-level governmental commitment and ongoing attempts to strengthen nursing in the Eastern Mediterranean region have been met with limited progress. The regional committee has decided to speed up their efforts to improve nursing and midwifery in 2019.
While significant improvement has been made, countries still require more trained nurses to meet the growing number of health issues they face.
To secure health for all people, countries must prioritize investing in nurses based on measures that are measurable, transparent, and realistic. This will help them create a highly qualified and resilient nursing workforce that can adapt to the requirements of the population as it evolves.
Many nations in our region are in the midst of lengthy crises, making working circumstances exceedingly hazardous for our nurses. Dr. Al-Mandhari emphasized the need for creative problem solving and the introduction of realistic proposals to overcome these obstacles.
In honor of International Nurses Day, WHO and its partners issued the following statement: “On International Nurses Day, while recognizing the work of nurses in our area and beyond, WHO and its partners call on all world leaders to invest in nurses to advance UHC and security. All of us should stand in solidarity with and support the nursing profession.
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