At-risk, abused and swamped with work – the plight of nurses in the global COVID-19 pandemic will be front and centre for 2022 International Nurses Day.
A call for the world to invest more in nursing and health, in the midst of the pandemic, will be the theme of the 2022 event on May 12.
It comes as the International Council of Nurses (ICN) reveals the work of nurses with a compilation of case studies from their day-to-day work from around the world.
ICN president Pamela Cipriano said nurses had “suffered tremendously” during the pandemic.
“They have been unnecessarily exposed to the virus, faced attacks from the public, suffered from extreme workloads, and continue to be underpaid and undervalued.”
Cipriano said governments’ delays in investing in their nursing workforces would damage health systems around the world.
“There is no health without a health workforce.”
‘They have been unnecessarily exposed to the virus, faced attacks from the public, suffered from extreme workloads.’
The International Nurses Day case studies showed the “incredible” work of nurses, she said.
“Our theme for 2022 will continue to promote nursing work and fight for nurses’ rights to a safe working environment, decent wages and full participation in decision-making.”
The theme for 2022 comes as NZNO reached an in-principle pay equity agreement for its district health board members, to correct the ongoing sex-based undervaluation of nursing work.
It was expected the agreement would boost recruitment efforts.