Government Sindh & ADB Inching towards Strategic Reforms in Nursing & Paramedic Sectors

By: Shabir Hussain Jhatial

In a follow up deliberation, the Asian Development Mission led by Jayati Nigham held deleberations with the Minister Health Sindh Dr. Azra Fazal Pechu on the Chair.

The Minister was joined by top policy makers of Health Department, the Secretary (H) Mr. Rehan Iqbal and Director Dev. Dr.Dabeer Ahmed Khan while Ms Najma Mangi and Mr. Shabir Hussain assisted the department in the matters related with Nursing & Midwifery status and the needed areas for interventions.

In continuation of their prior Mission, this Mission reaffirmed its intentions of financial & technical assistance with the purpose to revamp up to the mark Nursing-Midwifery and Paramedics sectors through effective education, training, HR Development and the infrastructure required for the biggest initiative taken so far the ADB in province's health sector.

The intentions expressed and agreed by both parties included:-

1. The formal training of teachers of through a certification from a University.

2. The buidling infrastructure o development of colleges where needed.

3. The modern training tools including the digitalized learning.

4. The sector development that could ensure the better governance to implement effective results for the purpose the investment is aimed.

5. The empowerment of Nurse-Midwife Leadership / Management in both the services and education sectors through capacity building measures i.e CNEs and formal administration courses.

6. To invest in enhancing the nurse midwives educators and administrators to take responsibility accountabilty and in policy making matters by themselves.

It is worth mentioning that the strategic initiative for HRH development with major focus on Nursing-Midwifery sectors has consistent top priority to revamp the health care delivery system. The Minister who herself is a health professional of par excellence, has deeper awareness about the issues and their solutions. Another quality demonstrated consistently is her consultative nature and thus involves nurse professional in top policy making fora.

After identifying the major areas of investment,  the ADB Mission verbalized to come forward soon with more specific plans based on the areas of agreed intentions. It is pertinent to mention that big strategic plans move at their own pace since the planning phase incorporates all aspects of projects that include the concept paper, the modalities, the beginning, the implementation bench-marks and the measurable results during and after the implementation is completed in physical terms.

The nursing community of both the public and private sector eagerly contributes whenever the Minister calls them to assist and contribute in materializing her strategic vision of establishing an effective public health system.