In honor of the 200th birth anniversary of Florence Nightingale, the World Health Organization has designated 2020 as the “Year of the Nurse and Midwife.” This year will not only honor and celebrate the valuable contributions of nurses in health care, it also seeks to highlight the challenging conditions they face every day.
In the Philippines, this celebration is timely as the country gears for the implementation of the Universal Health Care (UHC) Act. Nurses offer more than strength in numbers, and it is about time we shed light on the crucial role of nurses in achieving health for all.
The country will be in the best place if it empowers more nurses to deliver cost-effective interventions at the primary care level. Investing in nurses will mean improvements in health services and the rapid advancement of health promotion and disease prevention activities at the community level—both vital strategies in the heavy lift of delivering on the promise of universal health care.
Nurses are equipped with the knowledge and skills required in managing the epidemic of noncommunicable diseases. They have close ties with local communities and a good understanding of their culture, traditions and practices. Moreover, nurses have the professional stature and influence that can change the behaviors that cause these diseases. Therefore, nurses should be given the opportunity to do all of these within the framework of universal health care.
Moving toward UHC requires strengthening the health system. This largely depends on the availability, accessibility and capability of health workers to deliver a wide range of people-centered care. As frontline workers, nurses offer a unique perspective on various aspects of health care and are in a critical position to deliver evidence-based strategies that are truly responsive to the comprehensive needs of the people.
Nurses have long been underutilized, and the time calls for the government to realize that the redistribution of the overflowing supply of nurses is key to delivering on the promise of universal health care, which is health for all.
REINER LORENZO TAMAYO, RN
Philippine General Hospital
renztamayo@gmail.com