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2006 News and Alerts Due to the age of these news items, information (including links) may be outdated. Please use the search feature at the top of the page to find more current information on the subject or to find a current link. MARCH 29, 2006 Priorities to address global nursing shortages announced The findings of a two-year study addressing the worldwide nursing workforce crisis were released today by the International Council of Nurses (ICN) and the Florence Nightingale International Foundation (FNIF). The Global Nursing Shortage: Priority Areas for Intervention identifies top priorities for action in addressing the shortage of nurses worldwide. “We are seeing serious adverse impacts on the health and well-being of populations in both developed and developing countries due to the nursing shortage. The health related Millennium Development Goals, and development initiatives in general, are jeopardised by inadequate investments in human resources and ineffective actions to develop and sustain a strong health workforce,” according to Dr. Hiroko Minami, President of ICN and FNIF. “The political will to address the critical issues contributing to nurse shortages remains weak in most countries, despite a growing recognition of the critical issues” stressed ICN and FNIF’s Chief Executive Officer Judith Oulton. The report presents an action plan for ICN and nursing, calling on national and global partners to engage in developing, implementing and financing interventions in five priority areas:
The report points to critically needed improvements in the work environments of nurses and capacity-building in health human resources planning and management. The report also highlights the need for greater national self-sufficiency in managing domestic supply and demand, and for enabling fiscal environments supportive of nursing workforce development and improved public infrastructures (e.g. roads, clean water, electricity, information and communication technologies). Alan Gibbs, Chair of the Burdett Trust for Nursing and the major project sponsor, clarified that the issues are complex and the solutions must be multi-faceted. “Addressing the magnitude of issues is not something any one organisation can do alone. Overcoming this crisis will require exceptional advocacy, leadership and a deep and sustained political and financial commitment on the part of individual nations and the international community”. Full details of the report can be found on the ICN web site at www.icn.ch/global/report2006.pdf Editor’s Note: The International Council of Nurses (ICN) is a federation of 129 national nurses' associations representing the millions of nurses worldwide. Operated by nurses for nurses since 1899, ICN is the international voice of nursing and works to ensure quality care for all and sound health policies globally. The Florence Nightingale International Foundation is a registered Charity in the United Kingdom, formed for the purposes of supporting the advancement of nursing education, research and services for the public good. It is the successor to the original Florence Nightingale International Foundation, established in 1932 as a permanent memorial to Florence Nightingale with a mandate to develop and promote nursing education worldwide. The Burdett Trust for Nursing is an independent charitable Trust named after Sir Henry Burdett KCB, the founder of the Royal National Pension Fund for Nurses (RNPFN). The Trust was set up in recognition of the foundation, philosophy and structure of the RNPFN. For more information, please visit www.burdettnursingtrust.org.uk For further information contact: |
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