Directorate General of Nursing and Midwifery

The Directorate General of Nursing and Midwifery (DGNM) is the central body and focal point from which all activities relating to public sector nursing in Bangladesh are managed. This includes all involved in nursing and midwidery education and practices. Though regulation of nursing education and practice is the responsibility of the Bangladesh Nursing and Midwifery Council (BNMC), the BNMC works closely with the DGNM in regulating nursing and midwifery services.

The DGNM has similar responsibilities in terms of executive authority to other Directorates under the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare (MoHFW). The DNS is a member of most policy-making committees at national level relating to health services and education within the public sector.

The DGNM is one of the four current Directorates within the MoHFW. It is the highest body for managing the overall administration of public sector nursing services and education in Bangladesh. Its main responsibilities are:

• - National nursing policy development and application
• - Strategic and operational planning
• - Operational plan delivery, budget management and procurement as required
• - Nurse and non-nurse employee administration, including appointments, promotions, transfers
• - Pre-service and in-service educational planning and management: Nursing Institutes and Nursing Colleges
• - Planning and management of development projects
• - Annual awards for best performance in nursing education and services
• - Coordination with BNMC
• - Collaboration and coordination with other directorates, Ministries, national and international organizations

The Director exercises the administrative authority of nursing and non-nursing workforce. Until today 19,034 posts are available within the control of the DNS. Of which 17,797 are for nursing and 1,237 for non-nursing personnel. Among them 14,589 nursing and 829 non-nursing personnel are working at present for different hospitals and educational institutions. However, the DNS enjoys the financial authority for only Nursing Institutes, DCECs and RTCs; and the DGHS allocates budget for Nursing personnel involve with hospitals/clinical services; and the MoH&FW is responsible for the College of Nursing, Mohakhali, Dhaka.

GOAL & OBJECTIVES OF THE NURSING DIRECTORATE

The Nursing Directorate is the central body who enhances nursing services by leading the profession towards constituting a significant force in the health care delivery system for achieving the Goal `Health for All' congruent with the National Health Goals. Main aim is to make people healthier, productive and happier. In achieving the national health goals nursing professionals need to assist people for leading healthy life, having dignity and creativity, and behaving with a neighborly manner. Self-reliance among people will be the result by which they would take more active part in the society if they want to be healthy and happy.

In meeting the health related societal needs the Nursing Directorate plays the main roles and responsibilities in preparing and developing registered nurse and midwives who:

• will have up-to-date knowledge, attitude and skills in helping clients for-
• alleviating sufferings and recover quickly from diseases conditions/sickness;
• preventing communicable and non-communicable diseases; and
• rehabilitation.
• will have knowledge, insight and awareness about global issues and problems affecting the health of the nations (this should include the social/cultural, psychological and spiritual situation).
• will have the conceptual re-orientation about the holistic care of a patient/client with understanding of human interaction with the environment.
• must realize that s/he may not be called to do everything for the patient/client, but s/he must find out the necessary resources and must co-ordinate between the facilities required for caring patient/client.
• must ensure the implementation of nursing interventions and aim for achieving a successful outcome. As coordinator the nurse should be the guide of everybody from higher to lower.
• must work methodologically with quick assessment, planning, organizing, implementation and evaluation of the care of patient/client.
• must keep their professional knowledge and skills relevant and up-to-date through self-learning, in-service education, practice, higher education, and quality management including accountability. This would lead consumer satisfaction. A better image of nurses would logically follow when people in the society recognize the value of nursing care and that would result enhanced salary and status.