ECSACON Successfully Holds 6th Quadrennial General Meeting and 13th Scientific Conference as Zambia scoops the Vice Presidency …

Nursing And Midwifery Professionals Gathered in Nairobi, Kenya from 5th-7th September 2018 under the auspices of the East Central and Southern Africa College of Nursing (ECSACON). The theme of the conference was “Nurses and Midwives responding to global agenda on sustainable development goals and universal health coverage”.

 The theme sent the message to remind everyone that nurses and midwives form the bedrock of any health system, constituting over half of the health workforce.

Without strong health systems it would be difficult if not impossible to attain Universal Health Coverage.  The conference discussed some of the best practices from the Nurses and Midwives’ fraternity which includes Quality and affordable Maternal, New-born and Child Health Services; Access to Health Care including GBV services and SRHR among the Youth; Nursing and Midwifery Workforce Development to achieve HRH2030 Agenda; Innovations in preparing competent, skilled and motivated Nurses & Midwives; Nursing and Midwifery workforce preparedness to respond to Global Calls, Challenges and/or Disasters; Prioritizing Communicable and NCDs including Mental Health and Nutrition.

World Health Organisation (WHO) Director of Health Systems and Innovation, Dr. Ruediger Krech, gave the key note speech on behalf of the WHO Director General.

For the first time, fourteen abstracts from Zambia were accepted for presentation during the conference

Office bearers for the year 2019 to 2022 term of office were also elected who included Ms Keoagtse Kgwabi from Botswana as ECSACON President and Mrs Theresa Sikateyo from Zambia as ECSACON Vice president.

Other highlights for Zambia were Mrs Priscar  Mukonka taking up the position of Country National Representative and Ms Biemba Maliti as treasurer for the faculty of clinical practice at regional level.

Twenty three (23) nurses and midwives from Zambia attended the meeting including a student Ms Mukuka Makombe from Chikankata Mission Hospital sponsored by ZUNO to represent the Zambia at the African Regional Young Nurses Meeting alongside the ECSACON Quadrennial conference.