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Cecilia Ndungu (Africa)

Nurses and midwives in Kenya continue to impact UHC with great outcomes on improved evidence-based quality of care, improvements in health promotion, enhanced health research and training capacity, and the development of respective policies to advance the profession.

Cecilia Ndungu, Registered Nurse & Co-Chair, Africa Regional Hub, Challengers' Committee.

Faith Nawagi Photo UHC

The role of nurses is not only in providing care at the frontline to advance UHC. As they play their frontline healthcare role, they become best situated to generate evidence. This can be done through research and implementation science.

Faith Nawagi, Registered Nurse, PhD scholar, Makerere University & Co-Chair, Africa Regional Hub, Challengers' Committee.

Andrés de Juan Ortega (Europe)

The challenge of achieving Universal Health Coverage does not have to sound utopian or distant, carried out by large organisations and institutions, it is something that must begin in schools and universities.

It is our task as students and early-career nurses to try to acquire in our learning a culture of care that makes us look beyond what surrounds us, that makes us understand that we cannot talk about health and good practices if we know that there are people who cannot access it.

Nurses and Midwives are the largest health group with a high degree of development and competence, shouldn't they have a lot to say about this?

Andres de Juan Ortega, Nursing Student, University of Barcelona & Co-Chair, European Regional Hub, Challengers' Committee.

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Universal health coverage (UHC) and health inequities are current pressing global concerns. Nurses and midwives provide essential health services and are vital to achieving “Health For All”. They are at the centre of global public health, and collaboration between all disciplines, including nurse leaders, is paramount in achieving UHC and combating global healthcare crises, such as the COVID-19 pandemic.

Lloyd Nunag, Research Nurse & Member of the Challengers' Committee.

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Nurses form the largest group of health care professionals across the world. Nurses work closest with the community and are pivotal in driving access to primary health care. Universal Health Coverage can only be achieved by empowering nurses to lead and to ensure no one is left behind.

Munashe Nyika, Registered Nurse & Former Nursing Now Challenge Board Member

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Globally, nurses and midwives constitute the majority of healthcare workers. People in remote areas depend on nurses to prevent, assess, diagnose and treat health-related problems. Services offered by nurses in these facilities include; outpatient care, routine immunization, antiretroviral medications, antenatal care, normal deliveries, and postnatal care. Nurses are limited by human resources, training, and supplies while doing their job. Nevertheless, they continue serving the people of Uganda including those in inaccessible geographical locations. The COVID-19 pandemic and the recent looming cases of Ebola in the country have increased the demand for health services with nurses on the frontline putting their lives at risk. Nurses are the foundation on which healthcare is built and in order to achieve Universal Health Coverage, nurses should be prioritised as key stakeholders in ensuring access to healthcare and strengthening healthcare systems.

Mary Namukisa, Registered Nurse & Member of the Challengers' Committee.

Amy Staley (Americas)

As a profession that is built upon providing dignity, empathy, and equity, nurses are on the frontlines of building a healthy future for all. The role of nurses and midwives is paramount to building a healthy and equitable future. The healing of our nations has remained “Under Construction” as nurses and midwives break ground for a healthier tomorrow. Nurses turn buildings into hospitals, neighborhoods into communities, illness into wellness, and impossible recoveries into possible futures. Many say that our communities will never return to ‘Normal”. I believe that our future will be even better than that, because that’s what nurses are building it to be.

Amy Staley, Senior Staff Nurse, NewYork-Presbyterian Hospital, Weill Cornell Medical Center & Co-Chair Americas Regional Hub, Challengers' Committee.

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Nurses and midwives derive great pleasure in caring, serving, and advocating for the healthcare of mankind. We do as we touch one life at a time, in every home, in every community, then globally. This is how we achieve UHC.

Registered Nurse, Burdett Nursing Scholar 2022

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Nurses have a unique role in keeping the world healthy by providing individualised person care, educating, innovating and advocating for the health and well-being of individuals, families and whole communities.

Aimée Horcasitas, Registered Nurse, Co-Chair, Americas Regional Hub, Challengers' Committee.