Jiviksha

India has experienced tremendous growth in its capacity to produce health workers. However, the country still encounters challenges in terms of availability of human resources for health.

The human resources for health, especially nurses, constitute an important part of health systems. It is difficult to ascertain comprehensive information on the availability of health workers globally due to irregular reporting of data from the countries. However, experts have proposed minimum thresholds for achieving certain health-related Millennium Development Goals (MDGs). These thresholds have been used as yardsticks by others for determining human resources for health shortages in their nations.

As per the minimum threshold developed by the World Health Organization (WHO), not enough health workers are available in India. The nurse to population ratio in India is even lower than some of the other developing countries in Asia.

Even before the onset of the pandemic, India was suffering from a shortage of 2 million nurses (WHO, 2019). The nurse to patient ratio for India is only 1:483, i.e. 2.1 nurses per 1000 population. Countries with a much higher nurse: population ratio such as Italy (5.8) and USA (8.5) are facing dire shortages of nursing staff, especially since nurses are the most vulnerable, given their direct exposure to patients. 

India has 1.7 nurses per 1,000 population, 43% less than the World Health Organization norm (3 per 1,000). This includes nurses, midwives, women health visitors and auxiliary nurse midwives. Overall, India has 3.07 million registered nursing personnel. (government mentioned to the Rajya Sabha on March 3, 2020.)

We at WIT addressing this societal issue by educating and providing employability to unskilled and economically disadvantaged girls and women. At WIT, we believe that educating a woman truly goes a long way in empowering a family, and each of our girls is a standing testament to this.

WIT’s mission is to help women to help themselves by providing a platform for advancement and empowerment to unskilled and less privileged girls and women. WIT provides easy access to education, vocational skills training and livelihood opportunities.

The focus on nursing education is particularly relevant, as India moves closer to becoming the most populous country in the next decade. With this in mind, the nurses are being provided training that will qualify them to work in a field with many opportunities for employment and potential long -term job security

In keeping with the objective of providing education and livelihood for the less privileged, the following educational programmes are being conducted. At WIT, education and training to the girls and women are imparted at a heavily subsidized rate. The WIT Nursing School was established in the year 1983 on the WIT Campus to equip girls with certified educational qualifications and to meet the need for trained medical nurses. The Nursing School is an educational institute with strength. It adds value to the communities they live in and gives students access to an exceptional pool of knowledge, experience and qualification. The Nursing School runs four programs:

1. Two-year Auxillary Nursing and Midwifery Diploma and

2. One-year Paramedical Nursing Care Course.

3. Six- Months course in Stoma Care (Value addition course)

4. Computer Training and English Speaking for our Nursing students

Learning English and Computer training has become essential for every educated person. English and Technology in India plays an important role in education, particularly in Health where the instructions are mentioned in English.

 An adequate command of English is also necessary for getting a good job in the health sector. In view of all these factors, the need for being fluent in English on the part of our needy students is really an asset, when they are to join the mainstream. Thus, an adequate command of English and technology know-how on the part of our students will raise their social status. It will act as an agent of status equalisation for them.

The confidence level of the girls will improve with liquid money in hand. The image of the girls will improve in family and society. There will be no need for them to be dependents when they get married. Our 60 students will set examples for other girls.

These are just some of the positive impacts that educating girls and women can have on both women and their communities, and here at WIT we believe that we must educate girls and women. This can be achieved by the support of the donor who believe in ‘Giving Back’ to the communities in need. With your donation, we will able distribute books, uniforms and food to the students.

WIT is a reputed and award-winning NGO with its credibility consistently assured by Credibility Alliance,and Guidestar India.

Let’s Support Jiviksha and follow our passion. Please visit:

·        https://www.wit.org.in/

·        https://www.wit.org.in/donate-online-indian-foreign/

“The empowered woman is powerful beyond measure and beautiful beyond description.”-Unknown