ISLAMABAD: The International Labour Organisation (ILO) commemorated International Nurses Day 2025 with a national webinar on the theme “Decent Work for Nurses – Investing in Safety and Economic Growth.”

The event brought together representatives from key institutions including the Pakistan Nursing and Midwifery Council (PNMC), the Ministry of National Health Services, the Ministry of Overseas Pakistanis and Human Resource Development (MOPHRD), and technical experts from ILO to reflect on the urgent need to invest in Pakistan’s nursing workforce and align national frameworks with international labour standards.

Country Director ILO Geir Tonstol paid tribute to nurses as the backbone of the healthcare system and champions of the care economy.

He emphasised that decent work for nurses must include fair pay, safe and respectful workplaces, social protection, career growth, and the right to freedom of association.

Citing Pakistan’s nurse-to-population ratio of just 0.5 per 1,000, he called for greater investment and policy reforms to address workforce shortages and promote gender-responsive healthcare systems.

Ms Musarrat Rani from Midwifery Association Pakistan shed light on the multiple challenges nurses face in Pakistan — including high turnover, poor working conditions, and gender-based barriers to leadership.

She said that migration of the workforce due to burn out and lack of support has led to a shortage of 1.3 million nurses in the country.

Dr Sabeen Afzal, Director Regulations Health Ministry, presented the Government’s vision to close the nursing workforce gap and improve healthcare delivery. She reported a 29pc increase in nursing institutions and growing youth interest in the profession. Yet, she acknowledged persistent issues, including faculty shortages, weak quality assurance, and urban-centric deployment.

Concluding the session, Raja Shahroze Abbas, of MOPHRD, reaffirmed the ministry’s commitment to advancing decent work for nurses, both domestically and abroad.

According to World Health Organisation (WHO) the global nursing workforce has grown from 27.9 million in 2018 to 29.8 million in 2023, but wide disparities in the availability of nurses remain across regions and countries, according to the State of the World’s Nursing 2025 report, published by the WHO, International Council of Nurses (ICN) and partners. Inequities in the global nursing workforce leave many of the world’s population without access to essential health services, which could threaten progress towards universal health

coverage (UHC), global health security and the health-related development goals.

Published in Dawn, May 13th, 2025