First ever nursing and midwifery research team launched |17 May 2023

Some members of the research team

The nursing directorate office has launched a first ever nursing and midwifery research team to study the practice of nursing and midwifery in the country.

The team, made up of 9 nursing officers of different backgrounds, was launched yesterday during a special event to commemorate International Nurses Day and Midwifery Day on May 12, 2023 and May 5, 2023 respectively.

The research in nursing practice across the country is expected to provide the foundation for high-quality nursing care.

A member of the research team, Dr Gylian Mein, said that there has never been a research done locally on the scope of practice by nurses and midwives apart from relying on research on practices done overseas.

“We want to know the impact of the nursing practice on patients and on the nursing practice itself, for example, so that we improve on the services that we offer,” said Mrs Mein, who noted that they intend to hold a research on the nursing and midwife practice every year for the future development of the profession.

Mrs Mein said given the fact that for International Nurses’ Day last year they launched a campaign under the theme ‘Compassion’ to improve service delivery among nurses, they want to know, through the research, the impact of the campaign.

She added that among studies by the research team will also include how to retain nurses and midwifes.

Currently the Seychelles Nurses and Midwife Council has registered 921 nurses as at December 2022 among whom only 453 are licensed. Among the 453 practitioners, 72% work in government and 23% work in the private sector. 

Mrs Mein said that there is a huge gap in the nursing workforce and more work has to be done with regard to recruitment of nurses to replace those that leave the profession and those going on retirement.

During the special event a group of nurses who have completed training in Basic Life support and High Dependency were presented with their certificates. This was followed by a debate on the future of nursing and midwifery.

There were words of encouragement for the occasion from the Minister for Health, Peggy Vidot who is on overseas mission. In her message, read by Mrs Mein, the minister thanked all nurses and midwives for their hard work and devotion.

She urged them to continue to make a difference in the lives of our population and to let each encounter with a patient or client leave them with a positive experience.

The minister said that while it is being appreciated that epidemics and health emergencies will continue to impact on the two professions, in that context, nursing and midwifery leadership need to be enhanced so that key professional interventions can be contributed in the policy arena.

“I believe that nurses and midwives are best placed to speak for their professions and that they need to be given the competence to make that advocacy effective. I believe that nursing and midwifery have what it takes to shape the future of the professions rather than allow others to do it for them.  Nurses and midwives have been seen as vital agents of change who can improve health and transform healthcare,” Minister Vidot’s message read.

She said she fully realises that more investments are required to make nursing and midwifery profession more effective to which she will provide her full support.

The event was attended by the World Health Organisation (WHO) representative to Seychelles,    Dr Rex Mpazanje; the Public Health Commissioner, Dr Jude Gedeon;  the chief executive of the Health Care Agency, Dr Danny Louange; nurses, midwifes and other health officials.

Text & photos by Patrick Joubert