UTS Supports Health System Strengthening in the Pacific

Australian Awards Fellows and WHO CC UTS

The World Health Organization Collaborating Centre at the University of Technology Sydney (WHO CC UTS) hosted an Australia Awards Fellowship Program funded by the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade (DFAT) on 14-25 November. 

Twelve nurses and midwives selected from Fiji, Nauru, Samoa, Solomon Islands, Tokelau and Tuvalu will complete a two week workshop in leadership as part of a year-long Fellowship to develop and implement their own health system strengthening project whilst building their capacity as leaders.

The individual projects are developed with in-country mentors who are members of the South Pacific Chief Nursing and Midwifery Officers Alliance (SPCNMOA) in high-level positions in their home countries.

Moralene Capelle, Chief Nursing Officer of Nauru said: “I went through the first program in 2009. In a team, we worked on improving infection control through professional development of nurses, as well as developing a national infection control manual - which didn’t previously exist. This leadership program was a rewarding experience that opened many doors for me personally, now as Chief Nurse I am a mentor for the new participants coming through.”

Michele Rumsey, WHO CC UTS Director explained the importance of having a mentor who is in a position to support change: “Having participants devise their own action plan with their mentors is a crucial part of the program. They have first-hand experience of the health issues they face in their home country. We work with them provide them with the best tools and knowledge to tackle these issues.”

With the theme, ‘Health System Strengthening Nursing and Midwifery Leadership in the South Pacific’, the WHO CC UTS leads this study program that focusses on:

• Identifying local health priorities and strategies
• Developing an action plan on personal competence in plan management
• Data analysis and dissemination
• Leadership skills development
• Policy analysis
• Developing a peer support network between Fellows.

The leadership program has far and long reaching effects as the participants are able to facilitate skills-transfer with in-country colleagues, continue to network with regional country counterparts and contribute at the strengthening of health systems in their home countries.

“This leadership program supports the importance of quality health services matched to the needs of local populations for improvements in health outcomes,” said Head of the WHO CC UTS and Dean of Faculty of Health at UTS, Professor John Daly.

Since 2009, 103 participants have completed the program at WHO CC UTS, with many of these fellows progressing to positions of greater influence in their countries.