REMARKS FROM VICE CHAIR NMLTT

REMARKS FROM VICE CHAIR NMLTT

Dear Nurses and Midwives, It is a pleasure to communicate once again with you in this publication! We thank you for the tremendous work you have done during the past Covid-19 pandemic and enduring through the 2nd wave of Covid-19 that claimed a significant number of us. Because you are, we are! Our prayers and heartfelt condolences to the families of our departed colleagues. I take this opportunity to Welcome the Guest writer for this edition, the Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Education, Ms. Ketty Lamaro. Allow me to congratulate her on her appointment as permanent secretary to the Ministry of Education and Sports. As nurses and midwives, we look forward to working with you and your team in the education of future health professionals. I wish to congratulate and welcome Ms. Christine Nimwesiga the new Registrar of the Uganda Nurses and Midwives Council. As your predecessor, I pledge to support you to take the council to greater heights for the good of the nursing and midwifery fratenity. Much as Covid-19 has had a tremendous negative impact on us, we shall not fail to appreciate the fact that it has tickled and opened our minds as regulators to view nursing and midwifery in a different perspective as well as think outside the box so as to provide guidance to the profession effectively. This positivity has not only been felt by the regulators but has also impacted nurses and midwives. Nurses and midwives have embraced technology and created an online presence more than ever before. Nurses and midwives have strengthened their writing skills and promoted information sharing and discussions through social media platforms and newspapers, bringing a new face to the nursing and midwifery profession in Uganda. However, this revolution has not been devoid of challenges. Fraudsters have had increased access to information, giving them the opportunity to adulterate it to meet their own needs; incorrect information has been shared across media, causing mistrust, negativity, character assassination, and obstruction to correct information flow within debatable picture about the profession. These encounters have been further amplified by the challenges brought by compliance to Covid-19 standard operating procedures and the shortage of staff experienced at the Nurses and Midwives Council. In pursuit to control the spread of Covid-19 but yet offer services, the Council has had to reduce on the number of client encounters at its premises which has slowed not only the registration and licensure processes but also the consultation roles of the Council. This has created avenue for imposters to mingle among unregistered qualified nurses and midwives as well as expose the institution to fake registration processes exposing the public to unsafe nursing and midwifery practices.

Put at the limelight, the Council has not continued without paying attention to these critical issues that have influenced regulation. To boost the registration and licensure processes, the Council has introduced regional registration programs and strengthened existing licensure programs at the regions. The Council has been able to conduct whole week interviews for nurses and midwives at Certificate and Diploma level at central points in regions which has reduced on the backlog. We are happy to inform that the Council is now handling the registration of the most recently qualified nurses and midwives whose results were released in May 2021. These programs will continue until the backlog is cleared. In addition, the licensure team at the regions have been occasionally boosted by the head office team to provide practicing licenses, create opportunity for certification, and issue of registration certificates. Keeping that aside, the online registration system is also in its final stages with the registration and licensure for professionals and registration and licensure for clinics modules ready for rollout. Integration of this system with other relevant institutions has been secured. We therefore call upon all newly qualified nurses and midwives at Certificate and Diploma level who have not yet registered with the Nurses and Midwives Council to reach out and book for their registration and also yield to the Council call for registration in different regions. Nurses and midwives in practice are also encouraged to pursue their renewal of practicing license and certification of their professional documents from the Council regional satellite centres based in Jinja, Mbale, Soroti, Moroto, Gulu, Lira, Arua, Mubende, Masaka, Mbarara, Kabale, Hoima, and Fort portal at the regional referral hospitals. With this, we can fight the spread of Covid-19 together and kick it out of Uganda.

Nurses and midwives are also encouraged to embrace the Council communication portals: Website (www.unmc.ug), official email (info@unmc.ug; unmcouncil@yahoo.com), and official telephone contact (0393 290372) in their pursuit of information and not rely on social media or telephone calls to colleagues for authentic information. The nursing and midwifery professional code of conduct implores all of us to desist from activities that destroy the professional image at all times. Because we all have this role of promoting our professional image, let us not be caught off guard by transmitting and publicizing incorrect information most especially information that relate to government statutory laws, policies and regulations. As the legendary slogan “Knowledge is Power” entreats, we appeal to Nurses and Midwives, to always approach the governmental offices with jurisdiction for adequate authentic information. We believe that anyone embraced with correct information can engage in and stimulate fruitful discussions that will lead to practical deliberations at the different levels of implementation. Ignorance of the law is not a defense at a time of an offense. This revolution is therefore calling upon each of us to be scholars of government policies, laws and regulations that impact our practice so that we are able to effectively engage policy makers, have an active and yet a positive contribution to the future policies. This critical season has also challenged our ability to exercise the freedom of speech entrusted to all Ugandans by the government. Therefore, it is evident that there is also need to re-think on the nature of topics that can be handled for discussions on social space as well as the areas where our opinions matter. Because regulation starts at the individual level, as a professional regulatory body, entrusted with the role to regulate nursing and midwifery in Uganda, we call upon all of you to self-regulate in this critical moment when

services at all levels have been constrained. Also remember to always be your brothers’ keeper, a role provided to you by the professional code of conduct. To Love and Serve for a better Profession!

In conclusion, we appeal to all of you to continue observing the Covid-19 regulations and standard operating procedures for your own and public safety as we go into the festive season. I wish you all a Merry Christmas and Happy 2022. Yours Sincerely,

Angelah Ilakut Outgoing Registrar, UNMC

Tel: 0782836159, Email: Ilakut.angelah@unmc.ug, angelahilakut11@gmail.com

Instead of a Happy New Year, we are opting for a Happy New Every Day! A year is simply too long!

We encourage you to explore our practical strategies for sustaining mental health well-being one month at a time—see pages 7 and 10.