We all have dealt with two Covid waves and our front line workers have successfully saved hundreds of lives with their tireless efforts and sheer dedication. In this need of the hour not only the doctors played a crucial role but also we can not overlook the efforts and sacrifices our nurses have made. And we as an industry have definitely realised that they too have the experience then why not share that knowledge as well. This can fill in the skills gap recognised . Hence the modules of NUN program are carefully designed to enable nurses to deliver specialized care, essential support services and standardized counseling for patients living with high incidence NCDs in India.
AstraZeneca India and India-Sweden Healthcare Innovation Centre has jointly launched a specialized training program named Nurses’ Upskilling in NCDs (NUN) program for nurses to equip them with world-class practical knowhow to manage Diabetes. In the first training, 30 nurses from All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIIMS), Jodhpur will be trained for two days.
The modules of this program are carefully designed to enable nurses to deliver specialized care, essential support services and standardized counseling for patients living with these high incidence non-communicable diseases (NCDs) in India.
India-Sweden Healthcare Innovation Centre has been created to address the healthcare challenges in the country through interventions like technology, protocol, process and capability building. This is built under strategic guidance from the Union Health Ministry, the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR), the Government of Sweden’s Ministry of Health and Social Affairs and the Embassy of Sweden in India, and knowledge partners AstraZeneca and NASSCOM.
In a phased manner, this capability program aims to upskill 5000 nurses across the country in the next one year by converting the current modules into e-learning. The program also aims to expand the current curriculum to other NCD areas including Hypertension, Cardiovascular diseases and Oncology.
“Nurses hold transformative power in tackling any disease. The primary idea behind this initiative is to create a framework that can enhance primary, secondary and tertiary care in India. The program we are launching deeply focuses on enriching our nurses with hands-on knowledge and specific skills required to practice and promote up-to-date patient centric care”, said Cecilia Oskarsson, Trade Commissioner of Sweden to India
As per WHO, 1 in 4 Indians has a risk of dying from a non-communicable disease before they reach the age of 70 years. Dr. Sanjeev Misra, Director, AIIMS Jodhpur said, “Nurses are a vital layer of any healthcare ecosystem that is instrumental in achieving the health and development goals of a country. As a part of India-Sweden Healthcare Innovation Centre, we are proud to have developed a scalable training programme that would help nurses to not only deliver safe essential health services but also influence and educate patients towards understanding and managing a NCD.”
This program is curated from the rich and diverse resources available within the NCD domain following the National Programme for Prevention and Control of Cancer, Diabetes, Cardiovascular Diseases and Stroke (NPCDCS) guidelines.
“Nurses in our country are an important touch point that can be leveraged to spread correct medical information to assess and manage these critical lifestyle diseases. Capacitating and up-skilling nurses can prove to be a boon in ensuring the delivery of affordable, standardised and safe essential health care services. Through this initiative, we continue our commitment to address the growing burden of NCDs by setting up solution oriented centres of excellence that could focus upon upskilling, impactful solutions and scalable operations,” said Dr. Anil Kukreja, VP Medical Affairs, AstraZeneca India
The training program is targeted to empower nurses to better recognize the risk factors, causes, pathophysiology, screening methods, diagnostic tests and management of diabetes mellitus, hypertension and other NCDs. They will also be able to advice patients and the community on the importance of early and regular screening and adoption of healthy lifestyle.
The initiative will run under the aegis and direction of an Advisory Committee under the chairmanship of Prof Suresh K Sharma, Professor and Principal, College of Nursing, AIIMS, Jodhpur. The advisory committee is being formed comprising of key dignitaries from AIIMS Delhi, AIIMS Jodhpur, Directorate General of Health Services (DGHS), Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR), University College of Medical Sciences (UCMS), AstraZeneca India, and Business Sweden.
