On February 27, 2018 at exactly 1:00 p.m. GMT, somewhere far away in Europe, something historic took place.
A momentous event was held in London, United Kingdom, a global campaign launch held in s in London and Geneva and were live streamed to participating Nurses from Geneva, Jordan, United States of America, Ethiopia, Uganda, Malawi, Zambia, Lesotho,with all connected into one single room via video conferencing and live streaming.
This historic moment was the global launch of the NURSING NOW CAMPAIGN which kicked-off with activities across the globe. At the event, Her Royal Highness, the Duchess of Cambridge, Kate Middleton, made a passionate speech centered on nurses, after which she was announced as Patron of the Nursing Now campaign.
Also present at the launch is Dr Tedros, the Director General of the WHO, the new Chief Nursing Officer of the World Health Organization, Elizabeth Iro. Prof Sheila Dinotshe Tlou, the Botswana specialist in HIV/AIDS and women’s health, a nursing educator, and Botswana Minister of Health from 2004 to 2008 and Princess Muna Al Hussein of Jordan, with simultaneous events in Geneva, Jordan, South Africa and the USA.
Thereafter, the Campaign Board, along with its partners, were mandated to work over the next three years to improve healthcare by enabling nurses to do what we do best – promoting health and preventing disease.
At this juncture, I will like to answer the the big question: What is significant about the Nursing Now Global Campaign?
The Nursing Now Campaign is an evidence based nursing advocacy project based on the findings of the Triple Impact of Nursing report.
And what is the Triple Impact Nursing Report you might want to ask?
The Triple Impact of Nursing is a n evidence based report which focused on reviewing the state of nursing profession globally and was published in 2016 by the All-Party Parliamentary Group on Global Health (APPG)
In September 2015 the nations of the world signed up to the ambitious goal of ensuring that everyone in the world should have access to health care – universal health coverage – and that nobody should be left behind.
The Triple Impact Nursing Report report makes the very simple point that universal health coverage cannot possibly be achieved without strengthening nursing globally.
This is partly about increasing the number of nurses, but also crucially about making sure their contribution is properly understood and enabling them to work to their full potential.
The report goes on to argue that strengthening nursing will have the triple impact of improving health, promoting gender equality and supporting economic growth.
Much of what is said inthe report seems to be quite familiar to nursing leaders.
However, another important point was magnified:
Nursing leaders alone cannot bring about the changes that are needed.
Politicians, non-nursing health leaders and others must work with them to create radical changes in how nurses are perceived and in what they are permitted and enabled to do.
The report came out with a stunning pronouncement: developing nursing will improve health, promote gender equality and support economic growth – a vital revelation every government of every country should take seriously.
It is with great delight that I welcome you all – Nurses and Nursing Leaders with influence – to this opening session of the Nursing Now Nigeria campaign kick off for all Nigerian nurses .
For 18 years, I have personally lived in pain and agony for the Nigerian nursing profession and have personally waited for such historic moment as this for Nigerian nursing!
Nigerian nurses are one of the most hardworking in the world! It is however heartbreaking to realize that in a country where less than 200,000 nurses have been left to cater for about 240 million people, nurses are still been publicly mocked, ignored, victimized, marginalized, oppressed, overworked, overloaded, overburdened but , underappreciated, undervalued and under remunerated; in spite of their universal indispensability!
I am 200% sure that I am not the only one here who is overwhelmed with excitement that that moment we have all waited for seems to be finally here……… That golden moment in history when nurses are being handed a globally unique opportunity to: Raise there voices as ONE UNITED PROFESSION (irrespective of academic and educational status, professional affiliations, secular grading, cultural, religious and political background and most importantly of all personality differences); and be empowered to take their TRUE POSITION in the professional, leadership, decision-making, policy making and political arena.
In the last 3 years, my team and I at Nurses on Air, have been working tirelessly with an unquenchable passion and belief, in the mission of RE-BRANDING NIGERIA NURSING
While many of us have pursued this SORELY NEEDED CAUSE OF PROFESSIONAL RE-BRANDING with so much enthusiasm but at great personal cost and sacrifices against all odds, we never imagine that this golden privilege could surface in our lifetime!……
I say Congratulations to all Nigerian nurses for this great hope in the horizon.
Truly, this is now a dream come true, not only for all of us at Nurses on Air, Nigeria’s official professional rebranding platform for all Nigerian nurses; but for you all, passionate and hardworking nurses and Nursing Leaders in this room, more importantly for the entire members of the Nursing Now Nigeria Technical Crew who made this moment happen and for most importantly for every single nurse out there who are about loosing hope on Nigerian nursing; that the Nursing Now Campaign is happening in our lifetime!
I am deeply convinced that: Whatever we do now as either as nurses generally or as nursing leaders, to ensure that we use the Nursing Now project to lay down an unshakable foundation and enduring legacy for the younger generation of nurses will never be forgotten!
Once again, I say Congratulations to all Nigerian nurses for this great hope in the horizon!
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