SOUTH Pacific countries need more people to get into the health services.
President of International Council of Nurses, Dr Judith Shamian highlighted this during the opening ceremony at Mendana hotel in Honiara on Monday.
“As the population in the South Pacific gets increasing every time, it is demanding that more workers are needed into the field so that enough services can be delivered,” Dr Shamian said.
She said one of the biggest difficulties nurses in the South Pacific faced is to deliver appropriate health services to meet the demand of every single individual.
She added currently there are about 60 million nurses in the world. And in the developing countries in the world it holds about 20 million nurses in which most of the South pacific countries were included.
Ms Shamian said that within South Pacific there are lots of areas within the health sector needs improvement.
“We need more people to be trained and get into all aspects within the health sector, so that sufficient health care can deliver according to the demand of the people.
“With this it doesn’t mean all people to train to become nurses or doctors, they can be trained to be laboratorians, to work in the kitchens and so forth.
“These are the entire needs of health services that can look at improving health services and as a result it can also provide affordable health care that are require,” she said.
Ms Shamian said it is very true that lots of people engaging in the sector are doing so with the heart they have for people.
She said lots of health workers work without pay sometimes, they face lots of economic challenges and others more but they never back down.
“The work of providing health care is all about dedication, the heart you have for people is what this field is all about to bring life to them.”
She urged nurses in the South Pacific to keep on the good work despite whatever difficulty may encountered and work for the good of the people.
On the same note, Ms Shamian also added that another important area to consider as the work of nurses in the South Pacific will continue is to develop a strategy to guide their work.
She said the strategy is important to look at what nurses are? What their work is all about? And what are some of the things they need improvement or needed in their work?
However, Ms Shamian said that for this 18th South Pacific Nursing Forum (SPNF), constructive discussions are needed among participants, so that it can bring the nursing in the South Pacific to a new height.
She said that in order to make nursing in the South Pacific Universal, participants must bring back what they learn from this event and help their people with.
By LESLEY SANGA
