Investing in Nursing to Achieve Universal Health Care

GENEVA, Switzerland, April 6 -- The International Council of Nurses issued the following news release:

On the occasion of World Health Day 2018 which focuses on the theme "Universal health coverage: everyone, everywhere", the International Council of Nurses (ICN) calls for more investment in the nursing profession as a major driver to achieving accessible and high quality care for all, no matter the setting or location.

When appropriately implemented, universal health coverage (UHC) ensures that every citizen has access to care regardless of their ability to pay. UHC has been successfully implemented to some degree in 60 out of the world's 195 countries, but the World Health Organization (WHO) and the World Bank estimate that 400 million people do not have access to essential health services and 40% of the world's population live without health care coverage1.

Nurses are uniquely placed to reach all levels of society and the holistic nature of the profession allows them an insight into health needs that no other healthcare worker can provide. They are also often the sole professional carers in remote regions and they form a lifeline with other health workers and facilities. In addition to the array of specialties in which they perform, they are instrumental in improving access to quality health services.

"There is no other profession in my opinion that tends to the people's fundamental needs at their most vulnerable time as nursing does," said Professor Thomas Kearns, ICN's Interim Chief Executive Officer. "Nurses have a unique and intimate view of a person's life, more than any other health professional and more than any other health specialty. People-centred care is enshrined in human rights." "We cannot make progress on Universal Health Coverage or the Sustainable Development Goals without having motivated, competent health workers. With this equation, we need to recognise the central and leading role of nurses", said HRH Princess Muna Al-Hussein in her address during the joint ICN/WHO Nursing Now campaign launch earlier this year.

This particular strength is however impeded by a lack of nurses. Being the largest proportion of the overall professional healthcare workforce and as a result forming its backbone, the nursing profession needs to be boosted to an additional nine million nurses by 2030 to be able to face the growing demands of the 21st century.

Investing in nursing from educational perspectives, safe staffing levels, adequate wages and empowering policies is the only way of implementing UHC everywhere.

Investing in nursing is investing in UHC which has a profound effect on global health and welfare. Access to UHC enables people, as a result of both being healthier and not forced into poverty to cover health costs, to be more productive and active contributors to the family, community and society. It means children have greater possibility of receiving education, and it protects the vulnerable from moving further into extreme poverty.

There is a strong relationship between investing in health and economic development. Healthy citizens are able to achieve the education and skills they need to thrive in a global economy. This is extensively evidenced in ICN's latest International Nurses' Day resource which gathers case studies of nurses advancing access to health globally.

Footnote

1 World Health Organization, Anchoring universal health coverage in the right to health: What difference does it make? 2015, WHO: Geneva.