25 Oct 2015

Hundreds of nursing professionals, stakeholders and health industry captains from all over the world will gather in Gaborone for the first ever Botswana International Nursing Conference (BINC).

Addressing a press conference in Gaborone on Thursday October 22, the secretary general and chief executive officer of Botswana Nursing Union (BONU), Ms Ruth Mokgethi said the conference would be held next week at Fairgrounds Holdings under the theme: Efficient and effective nursing through evidenced-informed practice: Key to improved customer care.

Ms Mokgethi said the conference would have speakers and presenters on advancing and improving coverage and quality of nursing services.

She pointed out that the conference would provide a once in a life time opportunity for in-depth exchange of experiences and expertise within and beyond the international nursing community. 

She also stated that the coneference offers a unique opportunity to communicate, align and interact with clinicians, leaders and decision-makers in the nursing and health care industry internationally.

For her part, a health representative, Ms Siwulani Sebetso said the conference came at the appropriate time, adding that  it would bring together nurses from all over the region and internationally to share ideas and deliberate on what they could do to deliver quality health care services.

Ms Sebetso also said the government has set up structures and institutions within the health sector to facilitate training, and that it supports the development of health care professionals for the betterment of the health system.

“Our sacred human resource, the nurses and other health care workers are the backbone of the health system,” Ms Sebetso said.

She also said nurses have a responsibility to the nation and that at times they were forced to work under strenuous conditions. 

She applauded nurses for the good work that they do. She also assured all health workers that the government was doing all it could to ensure that they were adequately capacitated and resourced to deal with challenging health needs.

Ms Sebetso also said it was critical to strengthen relationships with other stakeholders, including the private sector in order to attain the vision of a compassionate, just and caring nation.

She also hailed Boitekanelo College for sponsoring the conference to the tune of over P260 000 as well as Barclays Life and other private and public sector organisations for their contribution to make the event a success.

The Minister of Health, Dorcas Makgato and health permanent secretary, Ms Shenaaz El Halaabi are expected to attend the conference. ENDS