Under the theme “GCC Nursing; Together, We Care”, the Ministry of Health (MOH) represented by the Directorate General for Nursing Affairs celebrated today  Monday along with the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) countries the GCC Nurses Day 2017, which is observed on the 13^th of March of every year. The celebration ceremony was held under the auspices of H.H. Al Sayyidah Alia Thuaini A’al Saeed at the Crown Plaza hotel with the presence of Their Excellences and Undersecretaries.

Number of leaders, health workers affiliated with nursing and midwifery professions in the health institutions, as well as those concerned with the health sector in the Sultanate take part in the event. 

The ceremony’s welcoming speech was delivered by Dr. Majed Rashid Al Muqbali, Director General of Nursing Affairs where he stated that the Nursing profession has evolved to reach the highest degrees of Humanitarian sciences and Academic ranks considering the significance of its preventive, therapeutic, and rehabilitative services. Dr. Al Muqbali affirmed that what distinct Nursing from the rest of sciences is the humanitarian aspect that it carries. Nurses are prepared to concern for the patient; to comfort him, console him, listen to him, communicate with him, take his hand towards hope and the love of life. Furthermore, standard tools have been developed for nursing students so to embrace all meanings of sympathy and empathy in parallel with developing the Code of Ethics.

Afterwards, Nurse Sharifa Al Zadjali presented a lecture on the future challenges of nursing in Oman remarking at the great influence that the nursing put on individuals as studies have proved a direct relation between any health institution that provide a positive work environment with best nursing cadres and the quality of the services.

She further stated that nursing in Oman is awaiting other achievements that will affect the delivered services positively; one of which is the issuing of Law of Nursing Profession that would regulate nursing and ensure the provision of safe health services based on scientific principles and evidence hence meeting the expectations of the health establishments and their plans. Moreover, Oman is seeking to restructure the health institutes into colleges that grant a bachelor degree and establish a specialized higher institute that gives a higher specialized certificate in Nursing.

The ceremony marked the Nursing evolvement in the Sultanate and honored group of excellent nurses who have been selected by members of Gulf Technical Nursing Committee in the Sultanate to shed the light on their accomplishments and thus elevate the profession of nursing in the different health establishments of the country.

Within the event, a discussion session was held with two veteran nurses in the Sultanate where they presented their experience in this profession since the onset of Renaissance and further addressed the challenges and difficulties encountered at that time until the development of the profession.  

At the end of the ceremony, the patron of the occasion and the attendees toured the accompanying exhibition that involved works of male and female nurses from the Sultanate different Governorates that reflect the GCC Nursing Day 2017 logo and draw attention to their roles in the health establishments.

It is worth to mention that the event aims at honoring the nursing profession and promoting nurses on exerting more efforts to provide a high quality nursing care. The theme of the Day is approved annually by the Gulf Technical Nursing Committee. This year’s logo lays inside a heart, which represents containment, whereas the interlinked hands signify the relationship and communication between the giver and recipient of the nursing care.  The little red heart represents nursing which is the pulse of health system, the hue of the blue represents professionalism, the ranges of red symbolizes dynamism and sustainability, and white is the symbol of peace and compassion.