Shaping the future of nursing in the region – 21st South Pacific Nurses Forum 2024

The 21st South Pacific Nurses Forum (SPNF) was held from June 4th to 7th, 2024, at APEC Haus in Port Moresby, Papua New Guinea, hosted by the Papua New Guinea Nurses Association (PNGNA). Under the theme “Our Nurses, Our Future,” the forum brought together over 300 nursing leaders from across the South Pacific. Since its inception in 1982, the forum has been a vital platform for clinical nurses, nurse managers, educators, and other leaders to share expertise, foster partnerships, and plan for crucial nursing issues. This year’s discussions centered on resources, understaffing, and the ethical migration and mobility of nurses.

Representatives from the South Pacific Chief Nursing and Midwifery Officers Alliance (SPCNMOA) attended the conference in partnership with the World Health Organization Collaborating Centre for Nursing, Midwifery, and Health Development at the University of Technology Sydney (WHOCCUTS). Four Chief Nursing Officers from the region—Ulisese Tapuvae (CNO Samoa), Michael Larui (CNO Solomon Islands), Mele Siʻi Inukihaʻangana Filise (CNO Tonga) and Trixie Fritz (CNO Nauru)—were also in attendance. 

WHO CC UTS featured three abstracts during the conference. Ulisese Tapuvae discussed the history of the Pacific Leadership Program, which aims to build regional nursing and midwifery leaders to support effective governance and policy development, increase regional regulation and accreditation standards, and strengthen partnerships between Pacific Islands Countries (PICs). Michael Larui spoke on the Regional Quality Improvement Program, a collaboration between WHOCC UTS, SPCNMOA, and the Australian Nursing and Midwifery Accreditation Council (ANMAC), which aims to support the regional development of consistent regulation, accreditation of education programs, and nursing and midwifery practice standards across up to 14 PICs. This initiative has led to a new 5-year DFAT-funded program, ‘Partnerships for a Healthy Region’. Thirdly, Mary Kililo and Julie Dopsie from the PNG National Department of Health presented the newly revised curriculums for the Diploma of General Nursing and Certificate IV in Community Health Worker, a significant achievement stemming from a three-year collaborative effort under the ‘Strengthening Health Workforce Education (SHWE) program’ and supported by WHO CC UTS.

PNGNA hosted a welcome reception furing the forum for participants on Monday 3rd June at the Crown Hotel. This is where the PNG National Department of Health (NDoH) launched the newly revised, evidence-based curriculums for the Diploma of General Nursing and Certificate IV in Community Health Workers. This achievement comes after a 3-year collaborative SHWE program, implemented by WHO CC UTS, in partnership with the PNG NDoH, University of Papua New Guinea (UPNG) and the PNG Department of Higher Education, Research, Science and Technology (DHERST), and funded by the Australian Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade (DFAT). WHO CC UTS supported thirty (30) principles from nursing and community health worker (CHW) schools across PNG to attend the launch and SPNF.

The forum provided an excellent opportunity for nursing colleagues across the Pacific to network and plan for actions over the next two years. The SPNF convenes biennially at various locations, with the next forum scheduled to be held in Fiji in 2026.

For more information, including the full program, please visit the SPNF website.