The World Health Organisation (WHO) has called on stakeholders to ensure that nurses have the needed supplies and equipment to safely deliver care as they respond to the Covid-19.
It also charged leaders around the world to ensure that nurses have easy access to counselling and support for their mental health and psychological needs.
The WHO Regional Director for Africa, Dr Matshidiso Moeti, made the call in a message marking the year 2020 International Day of Nurses, on Tuesday.
She, however, congratulated nurses in the African region for what she described as “your contributions every day to promoting health, keeping the world safe and serving the vulnerable.”
According to the WHO Regional Director, “it is clear that great work is underway to strengthen nursing in Africa, but more investment is needed.
“So today, on the International Day of the Nurse, I call on governments, academic institutions, civil society organizations, and partners to invest in accelerating nursing education, job creation, career pathways, and leadership at all levels.”
She, however, expressed concern that almost 1,000 health workers in the African Region have been infected with COVID-19, many of them are nurses, working closely with communities.
“With public and private partners, we must do more to ensure nurses and other front-line workers have access to personal protective equipment, so that they can safely provide essential services to communities,” she said.
On the effort of the WHO to reduce the spread of infections in health facilities and improve the quality of patient care, the WHO, she said have trained over 3000 front-line health workers in Africa, including many nurses, through interactive webinars on infection prevention and control and case management.
“In collaboration with chief nurses and sub-regional nursing associations, even more nurses are being equipped with the skills and knowledge to slow the spread of this pandemic,” she stressed.
