His Excellency President Ibrahim Mohamed Solih and First Lady Madam Fazna Ahmed launched the Nursing Now Campaign in Maldives-A three-year long international campaign run in collaboration with WHO and ICN. Supported by WHO Country Office and organized by Maldives Nursing Association and Nursing & Midwifery Council, the purpose of the campaign is to raise the profile and status of nurses worldwide. The launch was also graced by Honorable Minister of Health HE Abdulla Ameen, other Cabinet Ministers, WHO Representative Dr Arvind Mathur and attended by more than 300 invitees including nursing professionals from all over the country.
Speaking at the ceremony, President Solih pledged that his administration would seek ways to address challenges for nurses such as affordable housing and childcare, while devising a mechanism for nurses with special requirements to work part-time. He further affirmed the role of nurses in providing affordable, inclusive and quality health care and extended his profound gratitude for their benevolent and altruistic services.
The President also noted the importance of initiatives such as the ‘Nursing Now’ campaign to enhance the health sector, and thanked the Maldives Nurses Association, WHO, ICN, and the Maldives Nursing and Midwifery Council for the introduction of the campaign in Maldives.
“Nurses and midwives have the potential to strengthen frontline services through a horizontal approach to health care and public health, often providing services ranging from immunization to palliative care, and everything in between.” said WHO Representative Dr Arvind Mathur during his speech. “Nursing and midwifery personnel are well positioned to provide interventions at the individual and community level, including providing crucial follow-up to behavioral interventions that aim to modify the key risk factors for NCDs and promote health.”
“Together, we can ensure that nurses and midwives get the education, the training, the jobs, the conditions, the opportunities, the dignity and the respect they deserve.” Dr Mathur noted.
During the event, Honorable Minister of Health Mohamed Ameen inaugurated the Maldives Nurses Association Website. Additionally, Nurses were given the opportunity to reflect on their inspirational journeys through speeches and video presentations. A Nursing Now song was also launched during the ceremony to commemorate the three-year campaign.
WHO Maldives supported the launching ceremony as well as a subsequent two-day “Nursing Workforce Challenges” workshop following the campaign from 27th- 28th November 2019.
Nurses and midwives make up almost half of the world health workforce. They are important not just because of their numbers, but because of the vast range of health services they provide. Around the world, the year 2020 is dedicated to nursing, midwifery and the quest to achieve universal health coverage (UHC), in honor of the 200th birthday of Florence Nightingale, the founder of modem nursing.
WHO is a trusted and reliable partner of people and government of Maldives is committed to delivering ongoing support to ensure an adequate number of dedicated, competent and equitably distributed nurses and midwives, and advance the quest to achieve Universal Health Coverage across the Maldives and beyond.