Nursing and midwifery organisations have come together to launch #NurseMidwife4Change, a campaign to highlight the role of nurses and midwives and reinforce their contribution to the health care system of the country — through education, service and leadership. According to the State of World’s Nursing, almost 47 per cent of India’s health workforce consists of nurses and midwives. With 1.7 nurses per 1,000 population, India falls short of the WHO recommended rate of 3 nurses per 1,000 population. The campaign has been led by the All India Government Nurses Federation (AIGNF), an umbrella organization of nursing associations, Trained Nurses Association of India (TNAI), Society of Midwives-India (SOMI), and Indian Nursing Council (INC). The recently released State of the World’s Nursing Report 2020 and State of the World's Midwifery 2021 also highlight that investment in nursing and midwifery will not only help achieve health-related SDG targets but also contribute to education, gender and economic growth globally. Leadership, education and job creation are three top priorities for India to focus on, as per these reports. In line with global campaigns like Nursing Now and the Nightingale Challenge, #NurseMidwife4Change is aimed at supporting nurses and midwives to lead, to learn and to strengthen the profession.
