Southern African Network of Nurses and Midwives, South , Africa
Member profile
The SADC AIDS Network of Nurses and Midwives (SANNAM) was officially launched on 23rd May 2001. The leaders of the region have declared HIV/AIDS not only a serious health problem, but also an emergency and a development challenge. Thus, the SADC HIV/AIDS Task Force in 1999 adopted the vision of “a SADC society with reduced HIV/AIDS”. The nurses and midwives of the region, who share the same vision and who are the major role players in both health institutions and communities, want to reaffirm the vision by striving to raise the quality of care for HIV/AIDS patients and their relatives. The main strategy being pursued in this framework is to build the capacity of the National Nurses’ Associations (NNAs) in order to enable them to provide support to the nurses and midwives to maximize their role in the fight against the pandemic.
Main activities
SANNAM is committed to the promotion of caring for the careers who care, through expansion of the professional nursing response to HIV/AIDS and other critical health care challenges within the SADC region through networking, partnerships and capacity building. The goal is to improve the quality of health care services through a comprehensive response to HIV/AIDS and other critical health care challenges in the region within the context of the Millennium Development Goals. SANNAM's vision is to improve national health services and social policies related to HIV/AIDS and other critical health challenges.
Links to the health workforce crisis
SANNAM's goals are as follows:
- Equip Nurses and midwives to protect themselves from the transmission of disease and other related hazards;
- Increase the nursing and midwifery response to challenges posed by HIV and AIDS pandemic and other health care challenges in all fifteen member Countries by 2012;
- Improve the quality and availability of Human Resource for Health through the improvement of the working conditions of nurses and midwives, and other health workers. Lobby and advocate for policies and resources needed for retention of health workers where they are more needed and for "Quality workplaces for Quality care";
- Lobby for SANNAM additional support from the regional and international Organizations, private sector and Non-Governmental Organizations. Diversify the number of relevant collaborating partners and Stakeholders to intensify lobbying for health issues and health Advocacy at country level;
- Develop a monitoring and evaluation system; and
- Country members attain access to all health-related pertinent information, guidelines, policies and Nursing and Midwifery documents in follow-up to a strengthened communication strategy.
Call for knowledge information:
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