The World Needs Six Million Nurses during Critical Times

The World Health Organization has warned that more than 6 million nurses are still required even as the deadly covid-19 continues to bite.

According to WHO, Nursing Now and International Council of Nurses (ICN), Nurses constitute almost half of the health workers globally but more are required owing to the crucial roles they play in the health sector.

WHO Chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus opines that nurses are the backbone of any health system and they are not forgotten during the covid-19 battle.

“Today, many nurses find themselves on the frontline in the battle against COVID-19,” he noted, adding that it was vital they “get the support they need to keep the world healthy.”

According to the WHO report, there are about 28 million nurses globally where the number grew 4.7 million in 2018, leaving a shortfall of about 5.9 million.

The number of nurses are lower in contents like Africa, Southeast Asia, the Middle East and parts of South America.

International Council of Nurses Chief Howard Catton noted that few numbers of nurses have resulted in higher infection rates, medication errors and mortality rates while at the same time exhausting the currently available workforce.

The available nurses are currently working under pressure due to the continued rise in the number of Covid-19 cases. Some have refused to report to work since they are afraid of getting infected.

“We have a very high proportion of healthcare workers not going to work because they’re afraid that they’ve been infected and that they can’t prove that they have not got the infection — or that they’ve had it, and they’re over it,” Catton opined.

Since the outbreak of Coronavirus, about 100 nurses have died of the Covid-19 with Italy recording up to 23 deaths of the medics.

According to the INC Chief, professions where more men are, there is a probability of better working terms and payments. But this is not the case in the health sector.

However, governments are advised to invest more in the nurses, ensuring their education and creating more job opportunities.

Some countries have also barred nurses from traveling to foreign countries during the Covid-19 pandemic to ensure they have enough workforce for themselves.

READ: Standard Chartered Launches USD 50 Million COVID-19 Assistance Fund