The 9th GCC nursing symposium aimed at exploring the current regional and international trends in public health nursing and to draft recommendations for future development plans to the GCC Executive Board of Health Ministers (EBMoH) was opened at the Crown Plaza Hotel yesterday.
Rotationally conducted every two years in one of the GCC states, this year’s symposium is being held under the theme: Enhancing Nurse’s Role in Public Health, with specific focus on addressing four key aspects in advancement of the nursing sector in the region.
Such areas of focus include the nursing role in public health in the GCC states, requirements of a positive working environment in public health nursing, challenges facing public health nursing and suggested solutions and the trends and future plans in public health nursing.
Dr Ali bin Jaffer, Adviser for Health Affairs and supervisor of the Directorate-General of Health Services presided at the launch of the event.
The two-day event is designed at presenting current public health nursing models and practices in the GCC countries and to analyse international trends and approaches to public health nursing practices.
It is also intended at identifying and discussing the challenges facing public health nursing practice in the GCC countries and to propose the requirements of a positive work environment in public health nursing practice, said Majid bin Rashid al Maqbali, Director of Nursing and Midwifery Affairs, MoH, in a briefing to the Observer.
“I am highly optimistic that the symposium will result in to fruitful recommendations and have an impact on public health. It will also contribute to advancement of the healthcare services to reach out to the community within their homes and to enable the entire members of the family to benefit from such healthcare services in a holistic approach”.
The meet will also lead to a road map to promote public health nursing in the GCC countries in aspects related to policies and procedures, standards of identification and to enhance the nursing curricula in the region. It will also enable nurses to explore their career path in this task and to further advance through career development ladder, he remarked.
On conclusion of the symposium, a technical committee comprising of representatives of the GCC states, international agencies and prominent consultants will be held to review and evaluate the recommendations prior to submission to the executive board. The final draft of the recommendation will then be submitted to the executive board in Saudi Arabia for approval, said Al Maqbali, who is also chairman of the organising committee.
Dr Fariba al Darazi, Regional Adviser for Nursing and Allied Health, World Health
Organisation who is tasked to discuss about the regional perspective on enhancing the role of nursing in primary healthcare said: It is a very timely theme of discussion in the GCC especially that the nurses are the 1st point of contact with the community and constitute of the largest component of the healthcare work force.
The move in advancement of the nursing approach to community level is a significant step in promoting health and to provide curative services to populations within their homes in order to address the non-communicable diseases, which is increasingly evident in the region”.
Moreover, due to the increasing life expectancy and the improved standards of living especially in the GCC countries, the rate of elderly will also rise, mandating the need for community based healthcare approach, said the official.
In 2008, a regional committee resolution comprising of 22 ministers of health in the Eastern Mediterranean Region (EMRO) on promoting nursing and midwifery in the region framed a strategy to develop community (family) health nursing in the countries of the region, she stated.
The strategy is aimed at establishing educational programmes that will prepare nurses in this field. It is also designed at developing the structure within the healthcare system particularly in primary healthcare services to enable nursing graduates in this field to handle the task in an expansive form in primary and community healthcare services, she said.
About 200 officials from international organisations such as the World Health Organisation (WHO), prominent consultants and the nursing segments providing nursing education, services and healthcare activities are actively participating in the event.
Also on agenda of programmes included the Nusaiba bint Ka’ab Awards giving ceremony to honour the most distinguished and excellent performers from the fields of nursing education and nursing services sectors.
The award will be present to two persons from the GCC states among which the Sultanate’s award was given to Sharifa bint Saif al Jabria, Adviser, Office of Health Affairs Under-Secretary and President of Oman Nursing and Midwifery Council, for her role in the services sector. Likewise, Raya bint Said Khalfan al Habsiya was honoured for her role in the education of the nursing sector.
By Maryam Khalfan
Oman Observer