Partnerships for a Healthy Region - Strengthening Health Workforce Education in the Pacific (Nursing and Midwifery) Program (SWHP)

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Overview

SPCNMOA and WHO CCNM UTS are working with the Australian Government’s Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade (DFAT) under the Partnerships for a Healthy Region (PHR) to improve nursing and midwifery leadership, education, standards, and practice in 13 Pacific Island Countries (PICs) through the five-year Strengthening Health Workforce in the Pacific (SHWP) program (2023-2028).

Nurses and midwives make up 86% of the health workforce in PICs, and deliver the majority of health services especially in remote and rural areas. Investing in their training and development is crucial to meeting evolving and expanding population health needs. 

SHWP builds upon existing regional partnerships to create a sustainable and resilient health workforce; strategically implementing its cross-cutting priorities, including gender equity, disability and social inclusion (GEDSI), climate change and locally-led development to achieve the delivery of better health outcomes and further strengthen quality and safety of health services to meet the goals of Universal Health Coverage (UHC) for people across the Pacific.

Countries

  • Fiji
  • Federated States of Micronesia
  • Kiribati
  • Nauru
  • Niue
  • Palau
  • PNG
  • Marshall Islands
  • Samoa
  • Solomon Islands
  • Tonga
  • Tuvalu

Program Outcomes

PO1 Leadership and Governance: Nursing and midwifery leaders have strengthened leadership skills/ capability for more effective and inclusive health governance, policy development and management.
 
PO2 Gender equality and disability: inclusion are mainstreamed into leadership, regulation, standards of practice in the region.
 
PO3 Regulation: Regional regulation is strengthened to increase the quality and effectiveness of the health workforce in the Pacific. 
 
PO4 Education: Regional competency standards for foundational and advanced nursing and midwifery education and practice are strengthened.
 
Underlying all four program outcomes is PO5 Sustainability - health partnerships are established to ensure program sustainability, relevance, value, appropriateness, efficiency, and responsiveness.