On this twelfth of May – International Nurses Day – WHO joins the International Council of Nurses (ICN), nurses associations in 130 countries and nurses globally to celebrate the achievements of nurses in promoting health of people throughout the life-course. The 2014 theme “Nurses: a force for change – a vital resource for health” recognizes the changing role of nurses as a key player in health.
Human resources for health including nurses are pivotal in health systems for translating the vision of universal health coverage into a reality. Ensuring the availability of skilled nurses who provide quality and comprehensive services at all levels of health care will contribute to achieving universal health coverage and the success of the post-2015 health agenda.
To support the achievement of health equity nurses can be empowered to change models of care, health policies and health systems. More importantly, nurses can change thinking about and actions towards more people-centred services. Nursing education, services and regulations must be transformed to enable nurses to respond effectively to health systems and socioeconomic challenges.
With the increased burden of noncommunicable diseases, mental health problems and ageing populations, nurses need to focus more on health education, health promotion, disease prevention, promoting people’s self-care and home-based care. Nurses working in the community or public health/community nurses are a vital link between hospitals and homes for continuing care. The capacity of nurses at the primary health care level must be strengthened so they are able to work effectively with community health workers, families and communities.
Despite the large number of people with communicable and noncommunicable diseases, most hospital beds are already fully occupied with patients with complicated health problems in severe conditions. A proper ratio of nurses to patients is therefore needed as well as an increased number of nurses with specialties. With an inadequate number of nurses in many health facilities, nurses face high workloads and limited resources. This leads to high staff turnover and international migration that affects the quality of health-care services and patient safety. Governments must conduct proper workforce planning, deployment, development and retention to maintain nursing workforces in health systems.
WHO recognizes the good work of human resources for health and realize the challenges they are facing. In the past decade, Member States adopted a number of resolutions of the World Health Assembly and the South-East Asia Regional Committee related to HRH and strengthening nursing and midwifery. I urge governments to commit and invest in HRH to ensure adequate, competent and motivated workforces for effective health systems.
WHO will work closely with governments, partners and civil society to support countries in implementing the resolutions and national policy and strategies on HRH, nursing and midwifery as necessary. This includes tracking and monitoring progress of Member States’ commitments to the Recife Political Declaration on Human Resources for Health “renewed commitment towards universal health coverage” made in November 2013, in Brazil.
WHO will help strengthen the nursing workforce through transformation of education, services and management so that nurses – a vital resource for health – can make a change for better health for people.