The executive board of the World Health Organisation(WHO) has designated 2020 as International Year of Nurse and Midwife in honour of 200th birth anniversary of Florence Nightingale. The WHO will also launch first-ever State of the World’s Nursing report in 2020 prior to the 73rd session of the World Health Assembly.
2020 as International Year of the Nurse and Midwife:
i.State of the World’s Nursing report: The report will describe the nursing workforce in the member states of the WHO and will provide assessment of “fitness for purpose” relative to 13th General Programme of Work (GPW13) targets.
ii.The State of the World’s Midwifery 2020 report: WHO is also partner of the The State of the World’s Midwifery 2020 report. The report will also be launched along with the nursing report.
iii.The NursingNow! Campaign: WHO has collaborated with 3 year Nursing Now!’ Campaign (2018–2020). The aim of the campaign is to improve global health by improving the status of nursing and help in achieving Universal Health Coverage(UHC).
iv.statistics: According to WHO globally, 9 million more nurses and midwives are needed to achieve universal health coverage by 2030. There also remains estimated shortage of health workers, particularly nurses and midwives, exceeding 50%.
v.SGG benefits: Strengthening nurses will additionally benefit Sustainable Development Goal 5(SDG5) which aims to promote gender equality and also bemefit SDG 8 which aims to promote economic development.
vi.Florence Nightingale: Florence Nightingale was a british social reformer and statistician and is regarded as the founder of modern nursing. She was born in 12 May 1820 in Italy. In recognition of her pioneering work in nursing, the Nightingale Pledge taken by new nurses, and the Florence Nightingale Medal, the highest international distinction for a nurse, were named in her honour, and the annual International Nurses Day on May 12 is celebrated on her birthday.
About World Health Organisation (WHO):
Founded- 7 April 1948.
Headquarters- Geneva, Switzerland.
Director General- Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus.
