As the 77th World Health Assembly entered its second day, Taiwan’s Health Ministry held its own international forum Tuesday morning in Geneva on nursing strategies and nurse workforce development. The Health Ministry’s Department of Nursing and Health Care Director Tsay Shwu-feng (蔡淑鳳) and International Council of Nurses President Dr. Pamela Cipriano both spoke at the event.
Drs. Tsay and Cipriano exchanged views on the challenges facing the international nursing workforce, including the global healthcare worker shortage. The WHO estimates that by 2030, this shortage will amount to 4.5 million nurses and 0.31 million midwives. Tsay also explained Taiwan’s nursing workforce development strategy, emphasizing that “Taiwan Can Help.”
In response to the WHO traditional medicine strategy: 2014-2023, a publication developed and launched following the WHA resolution on traditional medicine, a number of European countries have integrated natural therapies in recent years. Experts from Denmark, Norway, Sweden, and the United Kingdom shared how they have implemented complementary therapies such as reflexology.
Forum attendees explained the benefits and challenges of promoting integrated healthcare in Nordic countries, sharing the results of the four-year plan they developed to educate medical personnel on natural therapies. Tsay says that the implementation of such therapies not only prevents disease, but also better equips nurses to cope with problems such as global population aging.