Staff Correspondent

Speakers at a roundtable discussion on the occasion of the International Nurses Day on Tuesday said, it is very important to improve the education and professional skills of the nurses in order to improve the quality of the country's health sector and to make them technically competent as well.

Besides, they need proper respect, appreciation and security to ensure the bright future of nursing profession.

The round table meeting was jointly organized by Ayat Education and Ayat College of Nursing and Health Sciences. Ayat Education Chief Executive Officer (CEO) Nusrat Aman moderated the round table meeting held at Hotel Amari Dhaka in Gulshan of the capital.

Among others, Deputy Secretary of the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, Mohammad Ruhul Qddus, Director of Evercare Hospital spoke at the meeting.

Arif Mahmud, Professor of Zoology Department of Dhaka University. Gausia Wahidunnesa Chowdhury, Ayat College of Nursing and Health Sciences Principal Halima Akhter, JPGSPH Head of Midwifery Dr. Sharmin Raw, Nursing Superintendent of Dhaka Medical College Hospital, Karima Khatun, Faculty of Nursing. Shariful Islam and others were present.

Principal of Nursing College Tereja Baroi and Principal of Mohakhali College of Nursing Khodeja Khatun were present.

This year's theme for International Nurses Day is 'Our Nurses, Our Future.' will lead to priceless.

The event was attended by Nasima Khatun, Principal, Square Nursing College, Uniq Ayat Education and Ayat College of Nursing and Health Sciences have organized a round table meeting with community members to celebrate the day. Basically, they need due appreciation, respect and security to ensure the bright future of the nursing profession through mutual cooperation.

In the speech of the chief guest, director general of the Directorate of Nursing and Midwifery (DGNM) Maksura Noor said that nurses have important duties and responsibilities towards a person from birth to death. That's why we need to change our perception of nurses with utmost importance. In his welcome speech, he mentioned his concern about the shortage of nurses compared to the country's demand.

In the speech of the special guest, Bangladesh Diabetic Association President and National Professor AK Azad Khan said, ICT Ministry's cooperation is very necessary for technological improvement in the medical sector and adequate training measures should be taken to make nurses skilled in keeping with technological modernization. Because a nurse plays no less role than a doctor to heal a patient. Nurses are engaged in patient care 24 hours a day.

Shaheen Anam, Executive Director of Mankind For Foundation (MJF), said quality educational institutions for nurses in the country are very important. Because nurses play a very important role in the health sector. That is why the government has upgraded the designation of nurses from 3rd class to 2nd class and created an international standard education curriculum to improve the quality of nursing education and their dignified environment in the workplace.

Nusrat Aman, Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of Ayat Education, said that simulation labs are very important in nursing educational institutions to improve the quality of the health sector and make nurses smarter. That is why nurses need to be technically more skilled and experienced through various trainings.

The Skills Development Center and the Dignifying Life (Palliative Care) Program are an organization comprised of these four organizations.

Ayat Education is basically a social organization whose main objective is to improve the quality of life and enrich the socio-economic status of the youth and marginalized people of the country. Ayat Education conducts its activities through health education, skill development training, job creation and policy advocacy campaigns.

Ayat Education is basically Ayat College. There are more doctors than nurses here. According to WHO guidelines, there should be four nurses for every doctor in the country to provide proper healthcare. But we have more than 1 person. On the other hand, there are 5.8 nurses for every 10,000 people in the urban areas of the country, while it is only 0.8 in the rural areas. This picture shows that there is an acute crisis of nurses in the country.

The root causes of this crisis are negative attitudes in the society, many restrictive policies, cultural barriers, undefined status of nurses, lack of proper evaluation of them, lack of advanced career development and above all lack of financial support for nursing education.

The recent Covid-19 pandemic has taught us that nurses are an essential part of healthcare. Although very few initiatives exist in our society to consider nursing as a noble profession and give due recognition to their great contributions.