WHO Director-General addresses international conference of nurses

Director-General of the World Health Organization
June 20, 2015
Excerpt from attached document:

"Excellencies, members and executives of the International Council of Nurses, ladies and gentlemen,

It is said that a person who saves a life is a hero. A person who saves hundreds of lives is obviously a nurse.

That person is likely to be overworked, underpaid, and vastly under-appreciated, especially at the policy-making level. Yet that person is saving lives, all the same.

Through the auspices of a unifying federation like ICN, millions of nurses around the world speak with a single compelling voice. You are united by a shared vision, and guided by an international code of ethics that has been in place since 1953."

and later she says the following:

"My own view is this. Given the enormous complexity of health challenges faced as the world transitions to the post-2015 era, no one, including WHO, dares to ignore the full contribution that the nursing profession can make.

If for no other reason, we cannot afford to ignore you.

A recent study conducted in the US found that the majority of clinicians have no idea about the costs of the interventions they order or the procedures they perform. In contrast, nurses are trained to work in a context of cost constraints, especially when their job involves procurement of medicines and hospital supplies.

Nurses need to have a much more active role in the policy process, especially in decisions that influence the financing of health services."

You may access the full speech at the following email address

http://www.who.int/dg/speeches/2015/international-conference-nurses/en/#