Medical experts appreciate role of nurses in healthcare on International Nurses Day

Training and education of nurses in Pakistan needs to be taken up at larger scale

KARACHI: The biggest problem in the health sector of Pakistan is the shortage of nursing staff in hospitals. The training and education of nurses, often ignored otherwise, needs to be focused on government and private level to ensure quality in the practice.

These views were expressed by the medical experts at a seminar, jointly organised by The Express Media Group and B. Braun Pakistan, to mark the International Nurses Day observed world over on May 12.

The seminar was attended by Indus Hospital Chief Executive Officer (CEO) Dr Abdul Bari, Aga Khan University Hospital's Dr Tanveer Baig, Dr Ziauddin Hospital's Dr Anila Kazmi, Islamabad Capital Development Authority (CDA) Hospital's Sumbul Naz, Peshawar Lady Reading Hospital's Shaheen Ghani, Lahore General Hospital's Dr Jodat Saleem, Jinnah Postgraduate Medical Centre (JPMC)'s Dr Ashraf Zia and B. Braun Pakistan's CEO and Managing Director Dr Zafar Hashmi.

Dr Bari said that the International Nurses Day should be celebrated every year on a large scale to pay respect to the nurses working in our country. "Everyone is aware of the condition of Pakistan Nursing Council (PNC). We have established enough nursing schools but we still lack quality," he said adding that according to standards, at least four nurses should be assigned to one doctor and we are far from that ratio.

Identifying the well-organised and efficient nursing department at Aga Khan Hospital, Dr Baig said, "Patients at the hospital are attended by nurses first and then the doctors. The whole structure of the hospital depends on the nursing department."

Dr Kazmi said that the nursing department is the backbone of every hospital hence the performance of hospitals couldn't be improved without the improvement in nurses' practice. Talking about the nursing education, she said that good leadership for nurses could improve nursing quality while quality of practice should also be introduced as a subject in nursing schools.

Ghani said that the nursing department could not be improved unless nursing services and education got better. "The nursing department hasn't progressed much because they have always been represented by others. The expectations of the society from the nurses are very high but nothing is being done for the provision of quality education to them," she said adding that patients come to the hospital for a single issue but leave with multiple issues due to the substandard arrangements in hospitals.

Mentioning the importance of the International Nurses Day, Dr Saleem informed the audience that the day was first celebrated in 1965 and since then has been regularly celebrated.

Highlighting the role of nurses in the society, Dr Zia said that the role played by the nurses is immensely important as they are assigned in every ward including the critical care units (CCUs) where the patients' speedy recovery would not be possible without the nurses' contribution. The purpose of celebrating the international day for nurses is not only to encourage and appreciate them, their performance and their qualities but it also aims to enlighten nurses with what is expected of them and how they should contribute to the system.

Dr Hashmi, in his address, said that the cases of needlestick injuries are the most amongst nurses, hence the safety of nurses is also essential.

The question and answers session was also held later in the seminar. The Associate Marketing Director of Express Media Group Kamran Ahmed presented shields to the participants at the end of the ceremony.

Published in The Express Tribune, May 12^th, 2019.