Fourth nursing policy forum inaugurated

AMMAN — Deputising for HRH Princess Muna, president of the Jordanian Nursing Council (JNC), Health Minister Firas Al Hawari on Thursday inaugurated the fourth nursing policy forum titled "Towards a safer future: Readiness for emergencies and disasters for a more effective response".

Organised by the JNC, the event witnessed the participation of international delegations, including the Adviser to the Romanian President for Health Affairs Diana-Loreta Paun, the Jordan News Agency, Petra, reported.

The forum shed light on the crucial role of nursing and midwifery professions in emergency and disaster preparedness.

Hawari stressed the importance of the role played by nursing staff to complete the treatment cycle. Nursing care serves as the gateway to treatment, starting from the patient's preparation for the diagnostic phase, accompanying them through the therapeutic phase and extending into the recovery phase and beyond.

JNC Secretary-General Hani Nawafleh said that the forum comes in response to global developments and lessons learnt from pandemics and disasters, such as the COVID-19 pandemic, and earthquakes.

Nawafleh noted that such factors necessitate the attention of all decision makers and health professionals to the importance of disaster preparedness, emergency response and the development of healthcare human resources. He highlighted the importance of cooperation among national, regional and global institutions.

Paun said that the nursing profession has been making steady progress thanks to political support from both Jordan and Romania. She highlighted the great role of Princess Muna in promoting nursing in Jordan, the region and across the world.

The forum issued several recommendations, with one of the most important being the inclusion of emergency and disaster response skills in health and nursing curricula at various levels as well as in vocational development programmes for health professionals. 

The recommendations also emphasised the importance of specialisation in this area and the importance of investing in the development and training of healthcare human resources. 

The forum also recommended enhancing cooperation and partnership among various actors in response to disasters and emergencies.