European nurses meeting in conference

The fifth European Regional Conference of the Commonwealth Nurses Federation being held at the Portomaso Suite of the Hilton ends today.

The conference heard 200 presentations on several issues, including emergency, surgery, the elderly, mental health and leadership skills.

Five concurrent sessions with three presentations in each were held throughout the three-day conference, which was attended by 220 delegates from several countries including Malta, which was represented by the Malta Union of Midwives and Nurses, a member of the federation.

During the conference, which was inaugurated by Health Minister Louis Deguara, the president of the Royal College of Nurses, Sylvia Denton explained the importance of nurses in health care, pointing out that 80 per cent of work in hospitals was done by nurses.

MUMN president Rudolph Cini said that nurses were nowadays specialising and taking advanced studies but they should never forget the roots of their profession, which was to remain close to patients.

The conference is being held in Malta for the second time but it is being chaired by a Maltese regional board member for the first time.