2020 – the year of the nurse and midwife: a call for action to scale up and strengthen the nursing and midwifery workforce in the Eastern Mediterranean Region

摘要

The World Health Organization (WHO) has declared 2020as the Year of the Nurse and the Midwife. World HealthDay on 7 April is dedicated to supporting nurses and midwives and highlights the central role of these professionsin advancing universal health coverage, achieving healthrelated sustainable development goals, and the EasternMediterranean Region Vision 2023: Health for All by All(1).This year, we sadly mark World Health Day in theface of the devastating COVID-19 pandemic, which hasbrought to attention more than ever the crucial andinvaluable role of health workers, who are workingtirelessly day and night to care for patients and savelives. In fighting COVID-19, not only might they becomeinfected and put their own lives at risk, but they also facedistress and burnout because of long working hours.In addition, many health workers have to be away fromtheir homes for prolonged periods, for fear of puttingtheir own families at risk of acquiring the infection. Evenbefore the pandemic, the safety and security of healthworkers in the Eastern Mediterranean Region has beena significant concern, as more than half of the countriesof the Region face acute and protracted crises, and 70-80% of total recorded attacks on health facilities globallyoccur in the Eastern Mediterranean Region.