Nurses hold the key to achieving Universal Health Coverage
New Delhi, India; Geneva, Switzerland; 3 December 2018 – Current global health challenges and nursing’s role in addressing them were among the main topics discussed at the Indian Nursing Council (INC) conference, endorsed by the International Council of Nurses (ICN) and in collaboration with Jhpiego, an international, non-profit health organisation affiliated with The Johns Hopkins University.
More than 500 participants of this three-day conference gathered in New Delhi from 29 November to 1 December to hear presentations from - among others - Mrs Annette Kennedy, President of ICN; Dr Leslie Mancuso, CEO and President of Jhpiego; ministers and members of the Indian parliament.
In her welcoming speech, Annette Kennedy spoke about the work ICN is doing to promote leadership in nursing and why governments should invest in the nursing profession. “Nursing excellence does not just happen by chance. It is the result of quality investment into the development of the profession with highly qualified and educated nurses. Investing in the nursing workforce means improved productivities within the health systems due to care co-ordination; improved access to care through enhanced scope of service; improved quality care and patient outcomes through safe staffing levels; and improved efficiency and reduced costs to the organisation.”
Dr T Dileep Kumar, President of the Indian Nursing Council praised the cooperation between ICN, Jhpeigo and INC for holding the international conference. It has given the opportunity for nursing professionals of India to interact with world renown experts and to get solutions towards providing quality of health care to achieve Universal Health Coverage for enabling them to work to their fullest potentials.
During the three-day conference, participants discussed ways of fostering collaborative partnerships for strengthening Primary Health Care, noncommunicable diseases and improving health outcomes; the role of the nurses in achieving universal health coverage; expanding the scope of professional practice for nurses; and technology innovation for transforming nursing education, practice and health care delivery.
ICN Board members also took part as panellists at the conference: Thembeka Gwagwa, ICN second Vice President, spoke on global experiences of nurse-led clinics; Lian-Hua Huang spoke on the role of nursing associations in advocacy for the increased role of nurses in clinical specialty care and advanced practice roles; and Lisa Little spoke about strategic directions for strengthening regulation for advanced nursing practice. ICN Board member Brigita Skela-Savic addressed the topic of prescriptive authority for nurses; Karen Bjøro spoke on global alliances for achieving the Sustainable Development Goals; and Wu Ying addressed the topic of technology and innovation in nursing regulation.
ICN continues to work closely with its members on key global issues affecting nurses around the world and conferences, such as this one, provide excellent opportunities to address these to a wide audience from the region.
Note for Editors
The International Council of Nurses (ICN) is a federation of more than 130 national nurses’ associations representing the millions of nurses worldwide. Operated by nurses and leading nursing internationally, ICN works to ensure quality care for all and sound health policies globally.
For more information please contact Gyorgy Madarasz, Press Officer, International Council of Nurses, Tel: +41 22 908 01 16
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