International Nurses Day (IND) was celebrated on May 12th, 2023, to commemorate and address global health challenges and ultimately, improve global health for all. Prof. Michele Rumsey, Director of WHO Collaborating Centre at UTS marched alongside the local nurses through the streets of Vanuatu.
The Our Nurses. Our Future. campaign seeks to move nurses from invisible to invaluable in the eyes of policy makers, the public, and all those who make decisions affecting the delivery and financing of health care.
It is about investing in our nurse leaders of tomorrow
– Harriet Sam, Principal Nursing Officer of Vanuatu
Prof. Michele Rumsey, marched alongside the community of nurses and midwives in advocating for government investment in health workforce capacity building. Nurses and midwives in Vanuatu hold a significant place within their local community, occupying most of the health workforce.
IND recognises nurses in all they do for the community and celebrates ‘the ones who have been on the front lines, serving our people’ – Harriet Sam, Principal Nursing Officer of Vanuatu
The WHOCC continually works to strengthen the healthcare workforce in Vanuatu, providing technical support for the development and implementation of accreditation capacity building. Working closely with staff from the Vanuatu College of Nursing Education (VCNE), WHOCC provided technical support in the development of the national nursing curriculum in Vanuatu. WHOCC worked with DFAT and VCNE in this development, resulting in the first Bachelor of Nursing course in Vanuatu. To read more on the First Bachelor of Nursing students in Vanuatu, click here.