Nursing News:
Supporting the South Asia Tsunami medical relief effort

The International Council of Nurses (ICN) offers the following guidance to its member national nurses associations (NNAs) and individual nurses worldwide who are seeking to respond in the most useful way to the dramatic need for relief assistance in the earthquake and tsunami hit region of South Asia. Many have been swift to offer funds as well as their nursing skills. ICN made immediate contact with the national nurses associations in the affected countries, though communications remain a challenge.

Providing funds for relief operations

• Money to support operations and purchase desperately needed supplies are the most urgent need at this time. Donations are most effectively used by the reputable international relief coordinating agencies, as they can make the speediest and most direct use of the money. A list is provided at the end of this article.

• National nurses associations can facilitate the donation process by providing links on their web sites directly to the donation function of the national societies representing the international coordinating agencies, or directly to the agencies themselves.

Providing funds for the support of nursing and nursing services

National nurses associations and individual nurses may want to direct their donations to support nursing and nursing services including donations for nurses who have themselves been directly affected by the disaster. ICN will be coordinating with the member national nurses associations in the affected countries in order to:

• Determine their needs.

• Establish an effective mechanism for NNAs and individual nurses to donate funds to the national nurses association in the affected countries. ICN will communicate this information to members and post it on the ICN Web site www.icn.ch as soon as a mechanism has been established. We hope this will be finalized this week.

Volunteering to work 'on the ground'

Many nurses have expressed their willingness to volunteer for relief work in the worst hit areas. Currently there is no capacity to absorb any further relief workers on the ground. However, the relief effort and subsequent reconstruction will be long-term and nursing skills will be needed for many months to come. It is important that nurses who wish to volunteer are part of a comprehensive plan to mobilize the right number of properly prepared health professionals. This is best accomplished by working through and registering with your national nurses association and/or the national branches of the major disaster relief agencies, such as the Red Cross, Red Crescent and others. It is not advisable for individual nurses to travel to the disaster struck area on their own.

ICN suggests that nurses wishing to volunteer for the disaster relief agencies:

• Contact their national nurses associations or the relevant national disaster relief organization for full information on volunteering services on the ground;

• Update vaccinations appropriately;

• Update all relevant skills and training;

• Ensure that their current place of employment can cope with and plan for staff absences.

National nurses associations can:

• Coordinate with the national disaster relief societies regarding the need for nurse volunteers;

• Provide contact and further information for nurses wishing to volunteer;

• Maintain a roster of nurses wishing to volunteer and make this information available to disaster relief organizations. What else can you do Your country may have communities of citizens who originate from the affected countries and these communities may be in need of both funding and moral support.

Lobby your government to give sufficient aid and to sustain this support as long as it is needed, while remembering the continuing needs of developing countries in Asia, Africa and elsewhere.

WHO has set up a web page including suggestions on how health professionals can help. The web site provides information about cash donations, donations in kind (including drug donations), and the recruitment of emergency specialists. www.who.int/hac/crises/international/asia_tsunami/donate/en/

ICN Resources for Disasters

• ICN Position Statement: Nurses and Disaster Preparedness

• ICN Web site on Disaster Response and Preparedness: http://icn.ch/disasterprep.htm

• CARE: http://www.care.org/  -  then choose the country

• Int'l Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC): http://www.ifrc.org/help now/donate/donate_response.asp

• United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) :http://www.unhcr.ch/ donate/redirect.html

• United Nations World Food Programme: http://www.wfp.org/how_to_help/sup port_wfp/online.html

• UNICEF: http://www.supportunicef.org/site /pp.asp?c=iuI1LdP0G&b=276341

• World Health Organization (WHO): http://www.who.int/hac/crises/interna tional/asia_tsunami/donate/en/index.html

Editor's Note:
The International Council of Nurses (ICN) is a federation of 125 national nurses' associations representing the millions of nurses worldwide. Operated by nurses for nurses since 1899, ICN is the international voice of nursing and works to ensure quality care for all and sound health policies globally.