The Year 2020 has been declared by the World Health Organization (WHO) as the "International Year of the Nurse and the Midwife" in the honour of the 200th anniversary of Florence Nightingale's birth. In many countries, nurses and midwives are considered less important and treated with less respect. However, in the United States, nursing is ranked as the most trusted profession, according to Gallup’s polls.
Florence Nightingale, who was called ‘The Lady with The Lamp’ by the sick and wounded at the Crimean war in 1854, laid strong foundational principles in Nursing. During her 90-year lifetime, she made an outstanding contribution to nursing, public health, and the design and management of hospitals. Florence Nightingale is revered as the Founder of Modern Nursing and continues to serve as a symbol of the power of nursing and demonstrates nurses’ critical role in global healthcare.
Nurses and Midwives play an important role in providing healthcare services. They devote their lives to caring for mothers and children; giving lifesaving vaccines, health advice, and looking after the elderly. They continually meet the essential health needs of people all over the world. Nurses and midwives are often the first point of care in their community.
The WHO intends to raise the status of nurses and midwives. The initiative is aimed at increasing the profile and influence of nurses globally, emphasising the central role they play in helping to deliver the sustainable development goal of universal health coverage globally by 2030. Hence, WHO and the partners have launched campaigns advocating for increased investments in the nursing and midwifery workforce.
Globally, the Nursing Now campaign was initiated in 2018 and will continue till the end of 2020. This campaign is a collaboration between WHO and the International Council of Nurses (ICN), which focuses on five core areas:
- Ensuring that nurses and midwives have a more prominent voice in health policymaking.
- Encouraging greater investment in the nursing workforce.
- Advocating for more nurses in leadership positions.
- Encouraging research that helps determine where nurses can have the greatest impact.
- Sharing examples of best nursing practice.
The Year 2020 - "International Year of the Nurse and the Midwife" is a unique opportunity to demonstrate public support for the nursing and midwifery professions.
Let us join hands together for collective impact and make a difference in health worldwide.
REFERENCES
World Health Organization (2019) Year of the Nurse and the Midwife 2020. Available from: www.who.int/news-room/campaigns/year-of-the-nurse-and-the-midwife-2020 [Accessed 18 July 2020].
Reinhart, R.J (2020) Nurses Continue to Rate Highest in Honesty, Ethics. GALLUP. Available from: https://news.gallup.com/poll/274673/nurses-continue-rate-highest-honesty-ethics.aspx [Accessed 18 July 2020].
Barton, A. J. (2020) 2020: International Year of the Nurse and Midwife. Journal of Nursing Education 2020;59(1):3-4 Available from: https://doi.org/10.3928/01484834-20191223-01 [Accessed 18 July 2020].