International Day of the Midwife and International Nurses Day 2022

By Dr Poonam Khetrapal Singh, WHO Regional Director for South-East Asia

Today, WHO and its Member States in the South-East Asia Region and across the world celebrate the annual International Nurses Day, which follows the 5 May celebration of the International Day of the Midwife. The theme of this year's International Nurses Day is "Nurses: A Voice to Lead - Invest in nursing and respect rights to secure global health", and the theme of last week's International Day of the Midwife was "100 years of progress". Central to each campaign is the need for all countries globally and in the Region to increase investments in nurses, midwives and other frontline health workers to build resilient, primary health care-oriented health systems that meet the needs of individuals and communities now and into the future, including in emergencies.

Since 2015 the Region has increased the availability of doctors, nurses and midwives by one fifth, in line with its Decade for Health Workforce Strengthening 2014-2024 and the WHO Regional Midwifery Strategy for South-East Asia 2020-2024, and in accordance with its Flagship Priorities on achieving universal health coverage (UHC) and accelerating reductions of maternal, neonatal and under-five mortality. Almost all countries of the Region have now met and surpassed the original WHO threshold of 22.8 doctors, nurses and midwives per 10 000 population. Although the Region is still short of the global benchmark density of 27.4 nurses per 10 000 population, it has a relatively young workforce that can and must be rapidly scaled. All Member states continue to implement national action plans to strengthen the nursing and midwifery workforce and are committed to accelerating progress based on the 12 policy priorities and four strategic directions - education, jobs, leadership and service delivery - of the Global Strategic Directions for Nursing and Midwifery, adopted at the Seventy-fourth World Health Assembly in 2021.

Of specific importance to today's celebration - and to achieving several Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) targets, including on health and well-being for all and gender equality - is the need to invest in the leadership skills of both young and senior level nurses and midwives, with the overall aim of strengthening workforce governance, management, service delivery and input into health policy. Evidence shows that by empowering nurses to lead health services, policy makers and administrators can improve quality of care and achieve better health outcomes - including fewer hospital-acquired infections - reduce costs, and increase staff retention and innovation. Patients have reported being better informed about their care and have been shown to be more likely to adhere to treatment. Midwives can provide 90% of sexual, reproductive, maternal, neonatal and adolescent health (SRMNAH) services, and if current shortages are overcome, midwives will save an estimated 4.3 million lives annually by 2035.

Increased investments in nursing and midwifery will have lasting economic benefits, which are especially important to recovering from the COVID-19 pandemic, as well as for achieving SDG 8, on promoting inclusive and sustainable economic growth, full and productive employment and decent work for all. The health and social care sector is one of the largest and fastest growing employment sectors in the world, particularly in low- and middle-income countries, and especially for women. At present, nurses constitute 59% of the global health workforce and midwives account for less than 10% of the global SRMNAH workforce. Nursing and midwifery provide life-long careers for both men and women, contributing to social and economic stability and growth, and promoting a healthier, more equitable future for all.

On International Nurses Day, WHO reiterates its commitment to support Member States to strengthen the nursing and midwifery workforce, in line with national, Regional and global priorities, and with a view to supporting the COVID-19 response and accelerating the recovery. Achieving UHC and securing global health are ambitious but achievable goals that require all countries of the Region and globally to invest in more nurses and midwives generally, and in the leadership skills of nurses and midwives specifically. Together, let us empower and support those who protect and care for us.