The Iraqi Health Ministry will sign this month a $6.5 million contract with the Jordanian Nursing Council to train 440 nurses in Amman.

The World Health Organisation (WHO) will supervise the training programme.

"One hundred male and female nurses will be enrolled this year in a three-month training course while the others will start their training in succession next year," Dr. Chaseb Lateef Ali, general director of the ministry's planning and resources development told Mawtani.

He said individuals enrolled in the courses "will receive theoretical and on-the-job training in general nursing, particularly treating emergency cases such as burns, fractures, and other cases that require surgery. They will also receive training on first aid, intensive care, and general care of patients".

Ali said the ministry is seeking to improve the skills of its medical and health personnel in order to keep pace with progress being achieved in other countries.

"The WHO also offered to enrol a group of the ministry's personnel in courses such as high level nursing, statistics, financial planning, health policy-making in a training programme at the American University in Beirut," he said.

"By the end of this month we will hold talks with the organisation's representatives in Iraq to confirm the number of trainees, the training programme, and the scope of finances needed to carry it out," Ali said.

He said the ministry also has a preliminary understanding with Sheffield University in Britain to organise short-term training courses for a group of university educated nurses. Twelve doctors and pharmacists recently concluded a two-week training course in Britain in collaboration with Leeds University.

Ali said the ministry received an offer from the Jaika Organisation in Japan to train medical, nursing, and administrative staff in neighbouring countries over a five-year period.

"A delegation from the ministry will soon visit Tokyo to sign an agreement with the Japanese agency for this purpose," he added.

Greater financial support needed

Ali called for increased financial allocations for the ministry's human resources needs. "We need at least 75 billion dinars ($64.4 million) annually to meet the cost of training our staff in various specialisations," he said.

Dr. Ziyad Tariq, spokesman for the Health Ministry, told Mawtani the ministry is "constantly trying to upgrade the expertise and competence of its staff by organising numerous training programmes in co-operation with international organisations".

"Nursing is a basic pillar of the health sector, and we are eager to develop the capacities of our personnel in this field and teach them new skills," he said.

Habib al-Tarfy, a member of the Iraqi parliament's health committee, praised the Health Ministry's efforts to develop its medical and nursing staff, which he said will lead to improved quality of care for the public.

"It is necessary, as we look forward to improving the health sector, to focus our attention on the training and qualification of individuals working in this field, whether they are doctors, nurses, technicians or administrative personnel, and work on developing their knowledge and expertise so they can provide the best health care for the citizens," he said.

Tarfy said it will be necessary to "intensify training courses outside the country in order to transfer the expertise gained to the rest of the health staff and achieve the maximum benefit from the training programmes".