INC to hold international conference to stress on important role of nurses

The Indian Nursing Council (INC) organised an international conference in the national capital, with the support the Health Ministry, to emphasise on the important role of nurses and their contribution towards achieving the target of universal health coverage.

The three-day conference was inaugurated Thursday by Union minister Suresh Prabhu.

Referring to the government's ambitious programme, Ayushman Bharat, he said nurses play a critical role in healthcare and outlined the importance of quality nursing education in this context.

The minister of commerce and industry said his ministry was working on a scheme to facilitate a large number of Indian nurses to work in other countries and assured all support to promote the profession of nursing.

The event was organised by INC in collaboration with the Johns Hopkins Program for International Education in Gynecology and Obstetrics (JHPIEGO) endorsed by International Council of Nurses (ICN).

The INC in a statement said nurses were the primary provider of healthcare and were the key to achieving the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).

The Indian Nursing Council is an autonomous statutory body, under the Health Ministry, with the objective of maintaining uniform standards and regulation of nursing education across the country.

A High Level Expert Group (HLEG) report on Universal Health Coverage in India emphasises the need for increased reliance on a cadre of well trained nurses which will allow doctors to focus on complex clinical cases.

The conference would bring together nurses and midwives from across the globe to explore strategies, approaches, and best practices to prepare nurse leaders to work within and promote universal health coverage, the statement said.

It will create a common platform for nurses and midwives from various countries to share their country's policy and plans.

The conference will provide a platform for presentation of best practices, innovations and research results in Universal Health Coverage (UHC) and nurses' role in achieving it.

It also provides opportunity to explore the scope of inter-professional collaborations, inter-sectoral partnerships and utilisation of technology in strengthening the nursing cadre to improve the health outcomes, it said.

The International Council of Nurses (ICN) is a federation of more than 130 National Nurses Associations (NNAs), representing more than 20 million nurses worldwide.