Today, on 7th April on World Health Day, when we celebrate the contribution of doctors, nurses and other health workers, the World Health Organization (WHO) has called for leaders globally to invest in healthcare, particularly in our nurses.
Now at a time, when the whole world is facing a health crisis as we fight the coronavirus pandemic, healthcare professionals are the frontline soldiers in this war and the World Health Day 2020 carries more importance than ever. It was started by WHO on 7th April in 1950, to celebrate the efforts put in by nurses and midwives, and remind world leaders of the critical role that they play in keeping the world healthy.
CRITICAL AID
The theme of this year’s event is ‘Support nurses and midwives’. To generate attention towards their contribution during the COVID-19 outbreak, the World Health Day it will “highlight the current status of nursing around the world”, said WHO. Without the critical aid of nurses there would have been “no response” to COVID-19 emergency or any other public health emergency.
In fact, WHO’s latest report, carried out in partnership with the International Council of Nurses (ICN) and Nursing Now, makes the case for higher investment in nursing education, jobs and leadership. According to WHO, the Covid-19 pandemic underscores the urgent need to strengthen the global health workforce. Its new report, The State of the World’s Nursing 2020, provides an in-depth look at the largest component of the health workforce.
The report findings identify important gaps in the nursing workforce and priority areas for investment in nursing education, jobs, and leadership to strengthen nursing around the world and improve health for all.
Nurses account for more than half of all the world’s health workers, providing vital services throughout the health system. Historically, as well as today, nurses are at the forefront of fighting epidemics and pandemics that threaten health across the globe. Around the world they are demonstrating their compassion, bravery and courage as they respond to the Covid-19 pandemic: never before has their value been more clearly demonstrated.
BACKBONE OF OUR HEALTH SYSTEM
“Nurses are the backbone of any health system. Today, many nurses find themselves on the frontline in the battle against Covid-19,” stated Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, WHO Director General. “This report is a stark reminder of the unique role they play, and a wakeup call to ensure they get the support they need to keep the world healthy.”
The report reveals that today, there are just under 28 million nurses worldwide. Between 2013 and 2018, nursing numbers increased by 4.7 million. But this still leaves a global shortfall of 5.9 million – with the greatest gaps found in countries in Africa, South East Asia and the Eastern Mediterranean region, as well as some parts of Latin America.
In fact, more than 80% of the world’s nurses work in countries that are home to half of the world’s population. Ageing is threatening the nursing workforce: one out of six of the world’s nurses are expected to retire in the next 10 years. And one in every eight nurses practices in a country other than the one where they were born or trained. In fact, UK TV host Piers Morgan, today acknowledged the importance of immigrants, who actually are propping up healthcare in Britain. He said, he hoped, that the UK would view immigration differently after this pandemic – a sentiment shared by many, not just in the UK, but many countries in the West.
GLOBAL SHORTAGES
To avert the global shortage, the report estimates that countries experiencing shortages need to increase the total number of nurse graduates by on average of 8% per year, along with improved ability to be employed and retained in the health system. This would cost roughly USD 10 per capita (population) per year.
“Politicians understand the cost of educating and maintaining a professional nursing workforce, but only now are many of them recognizing their true value,” said ICN President Annette Kennedy. “Every penny invested in nursing raises the wellbeing of people and families in tangible ways that are clear for everyone to see. This report highlights the nursing contribution and confirms that investment in the nursing profession is a benefit to society, not a cost. The world needs millions more nurses, and we are calling on governments to do the right thing, invest in this wonderful profession and watch their populations benefit from the amazing work that only nurses can do.”
Image credit: Vesna Harni, Pixabay
STRENGTHENING NURSING LEADERSHIP
About 90% of all nurses are female, yet few nurses are found in senior health leadership positions – the bulk of those positions are held by men. But when countries enable nurses to take a leadership role, for example by having a government chief nursing officer (or equivalent), and nursing leadership programmes, conditions for nurses improve.
“This report places much-needed data and evidence behind calls to strengthen nursing leadership, advance nursing practice, and educate the nursing workforce for the future,” added Lord Nigel Crisp, Co-Chair of Nursing Now. “The policy options reflect actions we believe all countries can take over the next 10 years to ensure there are enough nurses in all countries, and that nurses use of the full extent of their education, training, and professional scope to enhance primary health care delivery and respond to health emergencies such as COVID-19. This must start with broad and intersectoral dialogue which positions the nursing evidence in the context of a country’s health system, health workforce, and health priorities.”
WHO RECOMMENDATIONS
To equip the world with the nursing workforce it needs, WHO and its partners recommend that all countries:
- Increase funding to educate and employ more nurses;
- Strengthen capacity to collect, analyse and act on data about the health workforce;
- Monitor nurse mobility and migration and manage it responsibly and ethically;
- Educate and train nurses in the scientific, technological and sociological skills they need to drive progress in primary health care;
- Establish leadership positions including a government chief nurse and support leadership development among young nurses;
- Ensure that nurses in primary health care teams work to their full potential, for example in preventing and managing noncommunicable diseases;
- Improve working conditions including through safe staffing levels, fair salaries, and respecting rights to occupational health and safety;
- Implement gender-sensitive nursing workforce policies;
- Modernise professional nursing regulation by harmonising education and practice standards and using systems that can recognise and process nurses’ credentials globally; and
- Strengthen the role of nurses in care teams by bringing different sectors (health, education, immigration, finance and labour) together with nursing stakeholders for policy dialogue and workforce planning.
The report’s message is clear: governments need to invest in a massive acceleration of nursing education, creation of nursing jobs and leadership. Without nurses, midwives and other health workers, countries cannot win the battle against outbreaks, or achieve universal health coverage and the Sustainable Development Goals.
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