TEHRAN – Iran’s experience on crisis nursing and nursing for the elderly is good enough to be shared with regional countries, Ahmad Nejatian, director of international affairs of the Nursing Organization, told the Tehran Times on Saturday.

National Nurses Week is being held throughout the country from December 16-22.

Since the outbreak of the coronavirus pandemic, Iranian nurses have been at the forefront of the fight against the disease.

Over the last 10 months, about 50,000 nurses have been infected with COVID-19, more than 100 of whom lost their lives.

Approximately, 150,000 nurses work in the country, and there are 170,000 hospital beds, Nejatian stated.

Accordingly, there are 0.8 nurses per hospital bed in the country, but according to international standards, there should be at least two nurses per bed, he added.

Also, according to the population index, the country needs three nurses per bed, he also said.

The Nursing Organization is a member of the International Council of Nurses (ICN), headquartered in Geneva, and regularly participate in their research and scientific programs, Nejatian noted.

He went on to add that the Organization is also closely connected to with the WHO Regional Office for the Eastern Mediterranean and often attend consultative meetings to develop nursing and midwifery strategies in the region, as well as the conferences.

Moreover, we cooperate with the national bodies like the Foreign Ministry in the field of migration of nurses, along with the embassies to inform the nurses, he noted.

Referring to joint courses held with international organizations, Nejatian said: “We have so far held two joint courses with the ICN, one of which was led for change course, held in Iran, to train the nurses on management skills, and the other was global nursing leadership course held in Geneva.”

Iran's capabilities in the field of nursing education are focused on crisis nursing and nursing for the elderly that we decide to transfer these experiences to the countries of the region through training courses after containing coronavirus, he highlighted.

To fight the pandemic, the government is taking steps to remove the obstacles, such as lack of nursing workforce, and through coordination, we received the license to employ 30,000 nurses in this regard, he emphasized.

The other important step in this field is granting additional payment to nurses, he noted.

He also stated that the healthcare workers who lost their lives in the fight against coronavirus are called martyrs of health in Iran so that their families will be supported by receiving different kinds of assistance; which was a significant step to pay tribute to those who dedicated their lives defending our nation.

FB/MG