The 16th National Nurses Symposium was hosted in Kundiawa, Simbu Province recently. Nurses from all over the country attended the symposium to learn from colleagues and discussed ways forward for the profession. Recommendations from the symposium will be handed to the National Health Department to address some of the challenges that nurses in the country face.
Nurses throughout Papua New Guinea believe that they can help prevent communicable and non-communicable diseases. This was their theme at the 16th National Nurses’ Symposium.
Nursing is believed to be the second largest profession in the health workforce. They believe that they are positioned to provide efficient and effective quality health care, to reduce and eradicate the communicable and non-communicable illnesses in communities. However, they have been overlooked in terms of recognition from the government of their work, and have some improvements in their benefits and working conditions.
Nurses in Papua New Guinea work in both the urban and the rural parts of the country, including the most remote areas providing patient care, doing health awareness’, prescribing medicines for patients, and doing referrals.
The profession has changed overtime with nurses jobs’ improving from being a registered nurse to somewhat specialising in patient and health care.
The National Government’s vision 2050 aims to achieve a healthy population to support the political economic development of this nation. The PNG Nurses Association stated that they are the foundation to achieving such policies, and they must be supported by the provincial and National Governments.
By Vasinatta Yama – EMTV News, Mt Hagen
