MESSAGE FROM THE EDITIOR-IN-CHIEF

Abstract

The International Council of Nurses (ICN) reports that nursing has been at the heart of the response to the pandemic. The pandemic has emphasized that it has been nurses who have been leading the response, with most of care undertaken by them, and it is the nurses who have seen at close quarters the weaknesses, the fragilities and the fault-lines that must be addressed for the design of future healthcare systems. The ICN also reports that nurses have been leading the path during the pandemic. Therefore, the support that the nursing workforce requires and the need for future health systems must be far beyond pandemic preparedness and be fit for purpose for all future healthcare needs.

ICN’s vision for future healthcare puts nurses in the pivotal positions. In this regard more investment in nurse retention, jobs, leadership, and education is necessary for national and global security. Our economies and safety stand and fall on the robustness of our healthcare systems which goes far beyond pandemic preparedness. So, it can be said that nurses must be the architects and designers of our future healthcare systems. It must be ensured that, they are systematically and routinely consulted in important strategic decision-making in matters of healthcare. Nurses are the ones who have seen the fault lines in the healthcare systems during the pandemic and have the ability to transform them. In this manner the nursing fraternity can lead us into a better healthcare future with proper collaborations and undertakings.