In addition to the regular bi-monthly meetings, the SPCNMOA held a meeting on 5 November 2020. The event was chaired by Dr Amelia Afuha'amango, Health Minister from the Ministry of Health (MoH) inTonga. Eighteen participants took part, including Chief Nursing and Midwifery Officers (CNMOs), other senior health leaders and public health professionals from Australia, New Zealand, Tonga, Cook Islands, Vanuatu, Solomon Islands, Samoa, Marshall Islands, Palau and Fiji.
Dr Amelia emphasised the importance of solidarity at this difficult time with the COVID-19 pandemic, as well as the importance of moving forward with accountable outcomes for the region. She explained the importance of this group of leaders across the Pacific, and was delighted that the CNMO’s are continuing to meet together as their actions will assist in enhancing regional health outcomes.
The main purpose of the meeting was to re-examine the recommendations from the SOWN Report and the recommendations from the Cook Island workshop held in 2018, and to agree on priority actions going forward.
The regional challenges identified and agreed upon included:
- The cohort of nurses and midwives in the region is quite young (49% are under 35), so need strengthening through leadership, CPD and workplace support;
- Accreditation and regulation standards and frameworks across the region are variable. A number of countries are reviewing their Nurses’ Acts in the near future which will help focus thinking on future needs and roles of nurses and midwives;
- There is a need for a specialisation framework that will be logical and practical and respond to each country’s needs;
- There needs to be clear guidance and expectation about the roles of Nurse Practitioners across the region;
- COVID-19 has re-emphasised the need for specific disaster and emergency training for nurses and other health professionals across the region.