Health minister for strengthening nursing, midwifery professions in Pakistan

ISLAMABAD: Federal Minister for National Health Services, Regulation and Coordination (NHSR&C) Aamer Mehmood Kiani has stressed for strengthening nursing and midwifery professions in Pakistan.

“Universal health coverage is priority of the government and this cannot be achieved without well trained and motivated nursing and midwifery work force,” said while chairing a meeting at NHSR&C to devise a road map to strengthen nursing and midwifery profession in Pakistan.

He said the country was facing extreme shortage of nursing professionals and there was an emergent need to take appropriate short term and long term actions in right direction.

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The health minister ensured that government would provide all the possible support to meet the challenges, promote the nursing profession and to meet the country demand.

He said the government intended to bring the profession at par with international standards through devising new policies, setting future directions, improving regulations and investment.

The meeting was focused on sharing vision of newly elected government to bring the profession at par with international standards, meet the country requirement to achieve “health for all” vision through skilled and well-trained nurses and midwives.

The meeting was attended by renowned professionals of international repute, armed forces, nursing services and provincial representatives.

The group appreciated the government initiative to uplift the profession, enhance the quality of nursing and midwifery profession through quality education and skill-based training.

In the meeting, the minister was informed that currently around 100,000 nursing professional were registered with PNC, of which the majority (78,000) had completed diploma in nursing in addition to around 12,000 LHVs and 7,000 midwives.

Only 5,000 qualified BSN, 190 with master’s degree and only 9 PhDs in nursing, which explains the dearth of faculty in nursing institutes and quality of education, the forum observed.