The Nurses and Midwives Letter Issue 5
THE NURSE & MIDWIVES LEADERS’ THINK TANK 2020 Lead
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Introductory remarks from Sr. Angelah Ilakut, Vice Chairperson, Nurses and Midwives Leaders Think Tank and Registrar, Uganda Nurses and Midwives Council REGULATION OF NURSING AND MIDWIFERY IN THE ERA OF COVID-19 PANDEMIC I believe the Covid-19 pandemic has been one of the most stressful seasons in the life of Nurses and Midwives. You have worked tirelessly at the frontline to ensure that the coronavirus does not spread; and more importantly that Uganda has registered less deaths than other countries. You have shown your passion amidst the global shortage of personal protective equipment (PPE) and overwhelming numbers of cases. We have seen your selfless levels of overwork, especially those of you in the direct management of covid-19 cases, in the treatment centers, or involvement in the response to the covid-19 pandemic. Oftentimes, you have not had sufficient time to rest or recover from the stressful experiences and have continued with minimal support and assistance. To make matters worse, on June 8th, 2020, the Ministry of Health declared 22 health workers in Uganda were infected with the coronavirus. These numbers have since increased to date. With two health worker deaths due to the virus per now, we can imagine the impact this has had on your mental health and wellbeing, as well as the effect it has had on your families and loved ones. Today, we are more than ever deeply grateful to all of you, as you work, round the clock, putting yourselves at risk, to fight the effects of this pandemic. We are safe because you have made it! The covid-19 pandemic has not only affected the front liners but has also affected the effective regulation of nursing and midwifery services, and provision of services to the public. We recognize that you may be anxious during this time about the renewal of your practicing license; registration with the Uganda Nurses and Midwives Council (UNMC); certification of your professional documents; as well as registration and renewal for your clinics. We empathize with you and that is why we are working round the clock to ensure continuity of service delivery at the UNMC. Following the public service circular letter No. 3 issued on March 25th, 2020, the Council remained open with skeleton staff working behind closed doors with no access to the public. We are however happy to inform you that since June 2020, the council premises have been open to the public following the public service circular letter No. 7 issued on June 5th 2020 that allowed 30% of the total workforce to be on ground to provide critical services promptly. The critical services being offered to the public are: 1)