Welcome to the Regional Update (RU) for October 2022 from the World Health
Organization Collaborating Centre for Nursing, Midwifery and Health Development at the
University of Technology Sydney (WHO CC UTS).
The past few months have been busy and productive for our colleagues across the
Western Pacific Region, with the 51st Pacific Islands Forum; the delivery of skills-
training and capacity-building workshops in PNG, Vanuatu,Fiji, and other Pacific
Island Countries; the 3rd Pacific Heads of Nursing and Midwifery (PHoNM) Meeting,
and the nomination of the Secretariat for the Global Network of World Health Organisation
Nursing and Midwifery Collaborating Centres (GNWHOCCNM). Recent and upcoming
activities from across the region are highlighted in the newsletter below.
COVID-19 continues to highlight the immense importance of our nurses and midwives, as
well as the urgent need for increased investment in primary healthcare and pandemic
preparedness across our region. A winter ‘twindemic’ of COVID-19 and influenza
significantly impacted healthcare systems regionally, while new and emerging epidemics
such as monkeypox have placed renewed pressure on communities and healthcare
professionals. Timely and accessible vaccination rollouts supported by well-resourced
regional healthcare teams remain key to mitigating the impact of these diseases.
Several notable events are scheduled for the coming weeks, including the World Health
Summit (WHS) 2022 from the 16-18th October in Berlin, Germany. The goal of the
Summit is to inspire innovative approaches to worldwide health challenges by bringing
together global health leaders and stakeholders from all regions. Reaffirming global health
as a key political issue, strengthening the international exchange of information in the
wake of the acute phase of the COVID-19 pandemic, and promoting ‘health for all’ are
also high priorities for the WHS. Topics to be discussed at the meeting include climate
change and planetary health, health system resilience and adaptation, food systems and
health, and more. Further details are provided in the story below.
This Update links to relevant publications and documents of the WHO CC UTS - please
also visit our website for current information. You can also reach us
at whocc@uts.edu.au. For more information on the South Pacific Chief Nursing and
Midwifery Officers' Alliance (SPCNMOA) click here.
For the full Regional Update click here.