WORLD HEAL TH ORGANIZATION
ORGANISATION MONDIALE DE LA SANTE
REGIONAL OFFICE FOR THE WESTERN PACIFIC BUREAU REGIONAL DU PACIFIQUE OCCIDENTAL
REGIONAL COMMITTEE Fifty-fIfth session Manila, Philippines 13-17 September 2004
WPRlRC55INGO/4 14 September 2004
ORIGINAL: ENGLISH
Agenda item 11
STATEMENT BY MS ALICE TSANG REPRESENTATIVE, INTERNATIONAL COUNCIL OF NURSES (lCN) Dear Dr Omi and all the colleagues in the WHO-Western Pacific Region On behalf of the illternational Council of Nurses (lCN), thank you for the opportunity to speak on this important subject. As you know, lCN is a federation of national nurses associations (NNAs) in 125 countries. Its mandate is to improve standards of nursing practice, education, management and research and to strengthen the contribution of nurses to health systems at all levels . Above all our goal is healthy people in a healthy world.
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The illternational Council of Nurses applauds the WHO Regional Committee for the Western Pacific for its continued commitment to strengthening nursing. The funding of Nursing Leadership programmes in Mongolia and Vietnam is an example of the commitment of the Region to advance nursing and health care. Thanks to this project, nurses in these two countries are , being prepared for effective roles in improving health care systems. The number of new diseases and re-emerging diseases continues to increase. HNI AIDS, TB and, more recently, SARS, present serious challenges to disease prevention and control. Effective deployment of health care providers, including nurses, is a key element of successful prevention and intervention. By investing in their training and support, nurses in WPRO are uniquely placed to be leaders in local, regional and national strategies to prevent disease outbreaks and provide essential public health services. lCN is concerned that their potential remains largely untapped, and urges the WHO Regional Office, governments and others to involve nurses in coordinated initiatives for disease control, prevention and surveillance.
WPRlRC55INGO/4 page 2
lCN is also concerned about the safety of health care providers, particularly in infectious conditions, such as SARS. In 2003 nurses and doctors were among the first victims of the SARS epidemic. lCN is ready to work with WHO in addressing the protection of health care workers from occupational risks, such as needle stick injuries, and disease control and surveillance. In conclusion lCN takes this opportunity to assure you of its continued commitment to
partnership with WHO and to strengthening nursing's contribution to creating healthy and safer environments for all people.