Nursing Development Program - Timor Leste
Timorese nursesThe Nursing Development Program (NDP) was established in 2009 with St John of God Health Care signing a five-year Memorandum of Understanding with the Ministry of Health in Timor-Leste (East Timor) to improve patient outcomes by developing the capacity of nurses to deliver a higher standard of patient care in the Guido Valadares National Hospital, Dili.
Our initial team of skilled Australian and New Zealand nurses was deployed to Dili in June 2010 and the nursing contingent employed by this Social Outreach program has since grown to eight nurses.
Aims and objectives of the NDP
The principle objective of the Nursing Development Program is to work towards decreases mortality and morbidity among patients treated in East Timor’s public hospitals through improved nursing standards. The NDP aims to develop the knowledge, skills and standards of Timorese nurses by developing standardised policies, procedures and systems through placement of skilled Australian and New Zealand nurses who work alongside local nurses to role model and mentor them.
The program aims to improve nurse education and technical skills through training and mentoring in technical proficiencies in addition to developing standard operating procedures. We also endeavour to improve professional and physical environments that support good nursing practises.
The overarching objective of the NDP is to improve standards in nursing practices that will benefit a large proportion of the Timorese population over the long term. Our commitment to nursing in East Timor does not extend to responsibilities for front line nursing practise but our caregivers work closely with local nurses and health professionals to improve standards in a sustainable way.
In February 2013 St John of God Health Care welcomed a major investment in the Nursing Development program from oil and gas exploration and production company ConocoPhillips and its co-venturers in the Bayu-Undan project in the Timor Sea. ConocoPhillips, as the operator of the Bayu-Undan project, donated $250,000 (USD) to the program in order to boost training opportunities for Timorese nurses and the joint venture has now invested more than $1 million (USD) to our health development programs in Timor-Leste.
Photos of our Nursing Development Program on Flickr.
Improving health outcomes
Working out of Dili national hospital initially, St John of God Health Care nurses are engaged on a minimum two-year deployment. This establishes consistency in working relationships with Timorese hospital staff and provides ongoing sustainable support.
Nurse trainingNurses involved in the program mentor and guide Timorese nurses in developing and implementing policies, procedures, systems and practices to improve standards of nursing in various areas of specialisation including paediatrics, emergency, intensive care and neonatology. Once improved practices have been embedded and shown to improve patient outcomes in Dili, they will be rolled out to East Timor’s five district hospitals.
St John of God Health Care has also worked closely with major hospitals in Australia including the Royal Children’s Hospital and St Vincent's Hospital in Melbourne as well as our own Ballarat and Murdoch hospitals to provide intensive training courses for Timorese nurses in world class medical training facilities.
These training placements have allowed Timorese nurses to learn a wide range of new skills which they have taken back to Dili and shared on the wards in their home country, in turn developing the skills base of their colleagues in the national hospital. This implementation of learning upon return to Dili has focussed outcomes and of our Nursing Development Program nurses' work alongside the Timorese to ensure sustainable change.