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ICN CONFIRMS NEW DATES FOR ITS 24th QUADRENNIAL CONGRESS – SAME PLACE, SAME PROGRAMME, NEW DATES FOR DURBAN CONGRESS
Geneva, Switzerland – To ensure the most favourable conditions and comfort for participants at the ICN 24th Quadrennial Congress and CNR in Durban next year, ICN has revised the dates by one week, moving from 19–26 June 2009 to 27 June – 4 July 2009. The 2009 British and Irish Lions Tour of South Africa, known to be the second biggest Rugby event globally, has unexpectedly chosen Durban for a major match at the same time as the original dates for the Congress. This event brings with it a flood of more than 50,000 rugby fans resulting in tough competition and high prices for hotel rooms and services, diminished visibility for nursing and the Congress and congestion throughout the city. ICN, with the support of the Democratic Nurses Organization of South Africa (DENOSA), has revised the dates of the Congress rather than subject participants to such conditions.
More information will be available on the Congress website at http://www.icn.ch/congress2009.htm
We look forward to seeing you in Durban for the 24th Quadrennial Congress and CNR27 June – 4 July 2009!
Editor’s note
The International Council of Nurses (ICN) is a federation of 131 national nurses associations representing the millions of nurses worldwide. Operated by nurses and leading nursing internationally, ICN works to ensure quality care for all and sound health policies globally.
BD AND INTERNATIONAL COUNCIL OF NURSES COLLABORATE TO ADDRESS THE HEALTH HUMAN RESOURCE CRISIS IN AFRICA
Franklin Lakes, NJ and Geneva, Switzerland (30 November 2006) — BD (Becton, Dickinson and Company) (NYSE:BDX) and the International Council of Nurses (ICN) announced today a multi-year initiative to provide health and wellness services to healthcare providers working on the front lines in several African nations.
Click here to read the entire press release from http://www.icn.ch/PR22_06.htm
NEW GLOBAL ALLIANCE SEEKS TO ADDRESS WORLDWIDE SHORTAGE OF DOCTORS, NURSES AND OTHER HEALTH WORKERS
Geneva, Switzerland (25 May 2006) — A new global partnership that will strive to address the worldwide shortage of nurses, doctors, midwives and other health workers was launched today. The Global Health Workforce Alliance will draw together and mobilize key stakeholders engaged in global health to help countries improve the way they plan for, educate and employ health workers. Its secretariat will be hosted by the World Health Organization (WHO).
Click here to read the press release from the World Health Organization (WHO).
PRIORITIES TO ADDRESS GLOBAL NURSING SHORTAGES ANNOUNCED
Geneva, Switzerland (29 March 2006) — The findings of a two-year study addressing the worldwide nursing workforce crisis were released today by the International Council of Nurses (ICN) and the Florence Nightingale International Foundation (FNIF). The Global Nursing Shortage: Priority Areas for Intervention identifies top priorities for action in addressing the shortage of nurses worldwide.
“We are seeing serious adverse impacts on the health and well-being of populations in both developed and developing countries due to the nursing shortage. The health related Millennium Development Goals, and development initiatives in general, are jeopardised by inadequate investments in human resources and ineffective actions to develop and sustain a strong health workforce”, according to Dr. Hiroko Minami, President of ICN and FNIF.
“The political will to address the critical issues contributing to nurse shortages remains weak in most countries, despite a growing recognition of the critical issues” stressed ICN and FNIC’s Chief Executive Officer Judith Oulton.
The report presents an action plan for ICN and nursing, calling on national and global partners to engage in developing, implementing and financing interventions in five priority areas:
- Macroeconomic and health sector funding policies;
- Workforce policy and planning, including regulation;
- Positive practice environments and organisational performance;
- Recruitment and retention; addressing mal-distribution within countries, and out-migration;
- and Nursing leadership.
The report points to critically needed improvements in the work environments of nurses and capacity-building in health human resources planning and management. The report also highlights the need for greater national self-sufficiency in managing domestic supply and demand, and for enabling fiscal environments supportive of nursing workforce development and improved public infrastructures (e.g. roads, clean water, electricity, information and communication technologies).
Alan Gibbs, Chair of the Burdett Trust for Nursing and the major project sponsor, clarified that the issues are complex and the solutions must be multi-faceted. “Addressing the magnitude of issues is not something any one organisation can do alone. Overcoming this crisis will require exceptional advocacy, leadership and a deep and sustained political and financial commitment on the part of individual nations and the international community”.
Full details of the report can be found on the ICN web site at www.icn.ch/global/report2006.pdf
The report will be translated into Spanish and French in the near future and be made available on the ICN Global Nursing Workforce Project web site www.icn.ch/global
Editor’s note:
The International Council of Nurses (ICN) is a federation of 129 national nurses’ associations representing the millions of nurses worldwide. Operated by nurses for nurses since 1899, ICN is the international voice of nursing and works to ensure quality care for all and sound health policies globally.
The Florence Nightingale International Foundation is a registered Charity in the United Kingdom, formed for the purposes of supporting the advancement of nursing education, research and services for the public good. It is the successor to the original Florence Nightingale International Foundation, established in 1932 as a permanent memorial to Florence Nightingale with a mandate to develop and promote nursing education worldwide.
The Burdett Trust for Nursing is an independent charitable Trust named after Sir Henry Burdett KCB, the founder of the Royal National Pension Fund for Nurses (RNPFN). The Trust was set up in recognition of the foundation, philosophy and structure of the RNPFN. For more information, please visit www.burdettnursingtrust.org.uk
For further information contact:
Linda Carrier-Walker
Tel : +41 22 908 0100
fax : +41 22 908 0101
Website: www.icn.ch
INTEGRATION OF INTERNATIONAL NURSES: FOCUS OF UPCOMING CONFERENCE
Geneva, Switzerland (10 February 2006) — The International Centre on Nurse Migration, along with the Commonwealth Secretariat and the Royal College of Nursing, is hosting a two-day conference to explore ways to fully integrate international nurses into new workplaces. “Creating Positive Practice Environments for the International Nurse’ will be held on February 20–21 at the Marlborough House in London. The conference will focus on how health systems make the most of the knowledge, skills and potential of international nurses and how we ensure fair treatment.
Featured speakers include: Sian Thomas (NHS Confederation) and Sally Taber (Independent Healthcare Forum), who will provide the employer perspective; Jane C. Shivnan (Institute for John Hopkins Nursing) and Anne Leedham-Smith (RCN North West Thames), who will present some models of good practice from the U.S. and the UK. James Buchan will present conclusions taken from the King’s Fund study on Internationally Recruited Nurses in London. Annette Kennedy, President of the European Federation of Nurses Associations, will give an international overview and there will be presentations from Sylvia Denton (RCN President) and Peggy Vidot from the Commonwealth Secretariat, who will explore how a learning environment in the UK can benefit developing countries when return migration is facilitated.
The conference document, Positive Practice Environments: Key Considerations for the Development of a Framework to Support the Integration of International Nurses, aims to provide an overview of the influences of international policies and agreements, the social and personal benefits and costs of migration for international nurses, and outlines a possible framework to develop positive practice environments to support long-term integration and the retention of this valuable resource.
There are many reasons why nurses migrate: to achieve a better quality of life, professional development, to attain additional skills and education or to secure a better income. International nurses often face many challenges, such as adapting to a new environment and dealing with a sense of belonging and strangeness. There is also a significant amount of evidence that shows that these nurses are exposed to abuse, exploitation, discrimination and marginalisation. By building positive practice environments, we can ensure the integration of international nurses, supporting them in the host environments and, thereby, creating a dynamic team by valuing and using the skills and abilities of all nurses. The development of positive practice environments will benefit patients, individual nurses, health care teams and health services and, ultimately, the delivery of quality health care.
More detailed information on the conference, including how to register, is available at www.intlnursemigration.org/uk-event.shtml.
HEALTHY AND VALUED HEALTH WORKERS ARE ESSENTIAL TO SAVE HEALTH SYSTEMS IN SUB-SAHARAN AFRICA
The International Council of Nurses calls for immediate access to treatment for all
HIV positive health care workers in sub-Saharan Africa.
Geneva, Switzerland (1 December 2005) — Health workers* in sub-Saharan Africa have been extremely hard hit by the HIV/AIDS pandemic. Infected and
affected at the same devastating rate as the general population in their countries, they care for their ill patients, often in extremely difficult
working conditions. At the same time their communities look to them for ongoing leadership and care. If these key workers are not tended to the
collapse of health systems is inevitable.
“Health care systems in sub-Saharan Africa are experiencing a hemorrhage of health workers. Many are migrating and still others are sick and dying from
AIDS and tuberculosis. All HIV positive health workers need attention and care now”, according to Hiroko Minami, President of the International
Council of Nurses (ICN). “Treating HIV positive health workers will go a long way to keeping them healthy, in their jobs and in their country,
allowing for a strengthened health care workforce, better able to meet the enormous health needs and addressing the serious health worker retention
crisis in Africa.”
One of the principal barriers to health workers taking up HIV related testing and treatment is that to access these services they must “stand in
the same queue’ and at the same health care facilities as their patients, which undermines the relationship of trust and authority fundamental to
their effectiveness in health care. As well, health workers experience tremendous stress as they cope with enormous disease burdens, limited
resources and respond to community needs in their off work time. A separate service for them, that addresses their particular needs, is required and can
easily be delivered by nurses.
Swaziland leads the way
ICN is pleased to announce that the Swaziland Nurses Association (SNA) will deliver the first HIV and TB Wellness Centre of Excellence for HIV positive
health workers and their immediate families. This first centre, supported in part by the Danish Nurses Organization, will be housed in a building
provided by the SNA and will deliver comprehensive HIV and TB treatment, health services and training for all infected health workers and their
families. Phase 2 of this programme will see the Government of Swaziland roll out such centres throughout the country, as a key component of the
Health Sector Response to HIV/AIDS spearheaded by the Swaziland National AIDS Programme (SNAP).
ICN is also working with the Zambian Nurses Association and the Norwegian Nurses Association to initiate a similar programme in Zambia in the near
future and hopes to see treatment and services for HIV positive health workers rolled out throughout sub-Saharan Africa. There is no time to waste.
*Refers to all categories of health workers: nurses, pharmacists, physicians, dentists, kitchen and maintenance staff, etc.
Editor’s note:
The International Council of Nurses (ICN) is a federation of 129 national nurses’ associations representing the millions of nurses worldwide.
Operated by nurses for nurses since 1899, ICN is the international voice of nursing and works to ensure quality care for all and sound health policies globally.
For further information contact:
Linda Carrier-Walker
Tel: +41 22 908 0100
Fax: +41 22 908 0101
Email: carrwalk@icn.ch
ICN Website: www.icn.ch
NEW PUBLICATION ON MIGRATION BY ICN NURSE CONSULTANT
Geneva, Switzerland (14 November 2005) — The International Council of Nurses (ICN) is pleased to announce the release of Nurses on the Move: Migration and the Global Health Care Economy,
written by Mireille Kingma, PhD, Nurse Consultant in Health and Policy at ICN and published by Cornell University Press.
South African nurses care for patients in London, hospitals recruit Filipino nurses to Los Angeles, and Chinese nurses practice their profession in Ireland. In every industrialized country of the world, patients today increasingly find that the nurses who care for them come from a vast array of countries. In the first thorough book on international nurse migration, Mireille Kingma investigates one of today’s most important health care trends.
The personal stories of migrant nurses that fill this book contrast the nightmarish existences of some with the successes of others. Health
systems in industrialized countries now depend on nurses from the developing world to address their nursing shortages. This situation
raises a host of thorny questions. What causes nurses to decide to migrate? Is this migration voluntary or in some way coerced? When
developing countries are faced with nurse vacancy rates of more than 40 percent, is recruitment by industrialized countries fair play in a
competitive market or a new form of colonization? What happens to these workers-and the patients left behind-when they migrate? What safeguards
will protect nurses and the patients they find in their new workplaces?
Highlighting the complexity of the international rules and regulations now being constructed to facilitate the lucrative trade in human services,
Kingma presents a new way to think about the migration of skilled health-sector labour as well as the strategies needed to make migration work for individuals, patients, and the health systems on which they depend.
Editor’s note:
The International Council of Nurses (ICN) is a federation of 129 national nurses’ associations representing the millions of nurses worldwide.
Operated by nurses for nurses since 1899, ICN is the international voice of nursing and works to ensure quality care for all and sound health policies globally.
For further information contact:
Linda Carrier-Walker
Tel: +41 22 908 0100
Fax: +41 22 908 0101
Email: carrwalk@icn.ch
ICN Website: www.icn.ch
CGFNS AND ICN LAUNCH NEW “INTERNATIONAL CENTRE ON NURSE MIGRATION’
Taipei, Taiwan — 24 May 2005 — The Commission on Graduates of Foreign Nursing Schools (CGFNS) and the International Council of Nurses (ICN) today launched a much needed, new global resource, the International Centre on Nurse Migration. The announcement was made at the close of the ICN International Summit on Nursing WorkForce, held in Taipei, Taiwan. The Centre is an international resource for the development, promotion and dissemination of research, policy and information on nurse migration.
A priority of the Centre will be to address gaps in policy, research and information with regard to the migrant nurse workforce, including screening and workforce integration. The Centre’s website, www.intlnursemigration.org, will act as a portal for policy, research studies and other information regarding migration trends and statistics.
“There is a critical need for global organizations involved with migrating nurse professionals to collaborate and share knowledge,” said Barbara L. Nichols, DHL, MS, RN, FAAN, Chief Executive Officer of CGFNS, “This protects the interests of both the global nurse workforce and the patient communities they serve worldwide. We are pleased to be working with ICN in this endeavor.”
“The migration of nurses is greatly increasing as our world grows more tightly connected and changes every day,” said Judith A. Oulton, Chief Executive Officer of ICN. ’As professionals in a globalized world, we have a tremendous opportunity to share resources and affect positive change in how healthcare is administered and staffed around the world. We consider the Centre an important asset in understanding and acting on the needs of migrating nurses, employers and policy makers throughout the global community and see CGFNS as an ideal partner.”
About CGFNS:
CGFNS is an internationally recognized authority on credentials evaluation pertaining to the education, registration and licensure of nurses and healthcare professionals worldwide. CGFNS is an immigration-neutral, nonprofit organization with nearly 30 years of experience in certifying the credentials of over 500,000 internationally educated nurses and other healthcare workers. In addition to co-sponsoring the International Centre on Nurse Migration, CGFNS is developing an International Institute on Health Professions, which will comprise the International Centre on Nurse Migration and other similar centres.
About ICN:
The International Council of Nurses is a federation of national nurses' associations (NNAs), representing regulatory bodies, professional associations and nursing unions in more than 125 countries. Founded in 1899, ICN is the world’s first and widest reaching international organisation for health professionals and works to ensure quality nursing care for all, sound health policies globally, and the advancement of nursing knowledge. ICN speaks for more than 12 million nurses on issues related to safe patient care and encompassing ethics, regulation, professional practice and socio-economic welfare.
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