James Kon
Brunei Darussalam is currently short of between 800 and 1,000 nurses, made apparent during the covid-19 pandemic, said Minister of Health Dato Seri Setia Dr Haji Mohd Isham bin Haji Jaafar, in his capacity as the Executive Director of Jerudong Park Medical Centre (JPMC).
He said this in a pre-recorded video at the closing ceremony of the International Nurses and Midwives’ Day at Pengiran Anak Puteri Rashidah Sa’adatul Bolkiah Institute of Health Sciences (PAPRSB IHS), Universiti Brunei Darussalam (UBD) yesterday.
The minister explained, “By 2030, we will be facing an estimated 13 million shortage of nurses globally if we do nothing about it now. This was the recent report by the International Council of Nurses (ICN). The pandemic and systematic underfunding are just a few main reasons that have led to the shortage of nurses and midwives. This may sound like it is unimaginable but at one time, the shortage of nurses and midwives was a crisis worse than the pandemic itself.“
He added, “As the numbers of COVID-19 cases increased, so did the need for healthcare workers. At the Ministry of Health (MoH), we were challenged to our very wits. A large number of the workforce was infected with COVID-19 but at the same time isolation centres needed to be set up to treat the affected to contain the spread of the virus.
“I saw the numbers; I saw the people working hard. I saw the dedication, the amount of hours they poured into fighting off COVID-19, leaving their homes and family. This sounds very dramatic but it was the reality.“
The minister said this year’s International Nurses’ Day 2023 theme, ‘Our Nurses, Our Future’, and for International Midwives Day 2023 ‘Together Again: From Evidence and Reality’ highlight the crucial role of forward thinking and the role nurses and midwives play in healthcare organisations.
The minister added, “Both themes will guide us on how to pave the way for our nurses and midwives. The future of our healthcare workforce depends on how we set the tone. Recent history has shown that our nurses and midwives possess the ability to perform under pressure and the dedication to move forward under the harshest of conditions.”
The minister also asked, “As leaders, what are our roles? This is a question that I have pondered over the past few years. I feel it is suitable that I am given the opportunity to speak at a platform where education is the highlight.”
He believes that at the beginning of every profession, the core of an individual is being shaped by the system that trains them.
For the idea to flourish, he said, “We, as leaders, need to start investing in the future of healthcare, not just money but also time and effort. These efforts need to be unified as the values, intent and culture should be unilateral to ensure the direction of healthcare in the future is not easily swayed. The battle with the pandemic has thought us at MoH and national level, we cannot be moving in different directions to achieve our goals. I hope today is where this idea can begin. I also implore all of you to take advantage of today for your future and your practice.”
The event was organised by JPMC in collaboration with PAPRSB IHS, UBD and with the theme ‘Nursing and Midwifery Innovations: Enhancing Impacts and Outcomes’.
