Positive strategies to address the worldwide shortage of nurses and midwives will be discussed by leaders in healthcare from 34 countries at the World Health Organization (WHO) Western Pacific Region Leadership Summit this month.

Hosted by the University of Technology, Sydney from 28-30 November, the Summit will tackle the challenge of providing quality health care in the face of the global need for more nurses and midwives and the threat of emerging infectious diseases.

Countries across the world face health worker shortages, particularly nurses. The need to ensure a strong nursing workforce is critical, particularly in developing countries where health needs are greatest.

Professor Jill White, Dean, Faculty of Nursing, Midwifery and Health at UTS believes that collaboration in education, practice development, research and regulation are key to finding creative solutions to this health care problem.

"It is imperative that our countries work collaboratively to address urgent workforce issues, as a well prepared workforce is integral to health system functioning and improvements in health," Professor White said.

Preparedness of frontline health workers and health systems for pandemics will also be addressed, both in the aftermath of SARS (severe acute respiratory syndrome) and for the current avian influenza threat.

The increasing threat from emerging infectious diseases makes it imperative that countries prepare for rapid response and containment activities, particularly nurses and midwives who are key players in managing health crises.

"This Summit builds on the one hosted two years ago by UTS at which lessons from SARS were shared by Chief Nurses within the region" Professor White said. "This Summit strengthens important networks between the people in these key positions in health care in their countries."

Leading discussions on pandemic preparedness will be Professor Aileen Plant, a senior WHO disease epidemiologist from the Centre for International Health in Perth, Dr. W.H. Seto, President of the Asia Pacific Society of Infection Control and representatives of the Albion Street Centre, a WHO HIV/AIDS Collaborating Centre.

Themed Building Leadership Capacity and Disease Prevention in the Region, the Summit has been supported by WHO, AusAID and the International Centre of Excellence in Asia Pacific Studies.

Participants will include chief nurses from Australian states and territories, federal chief nurses from 33 other countries in the Western Pacific Region, regional WHO representatives, WHO Western Pacific Region Nursing and Midwifery Collaborating Centres, donor organisations and other key health professionals. The NSW Minister for Health John Hatzistergos will officially open the Summit.

Thursday 23 November 2006