OVERVIEW – Pre-Service, In-Service, & Continuing Nursing Education
The quality of any health care service is only as good as its practitioners. For any health system, health workers are the most critical driving force. They are the ultimate resource for promoting health, preventing disease, and curing sickness. Human Resources for Health (HRH), the backbone of the health care delivery system, is in a crisis situation in Bangladesh with a critical shortage of health workers, although health workers command three-fourths of the national health budget. Worker numbers and quality are positively associated with gains in health. The density of workers in a population is closely associated with some of the key health MDG indicators.
Bangladesh faces a shortage of 280,000 trained nurses, which is a major obstacle towards achieving its MDG targets, as well as national health goals outlined under the 2011-2016 Health, Population and Nutrition Sector Development Program (HPNSDP)and the 2008Bangladesh Health Workforce Strategy. In other words, a tenfold increase of the current size of the nursing workforce is needed!
ACTIVITY – Nursing College
Good HEAL Trust aims to upgrade Nursing Training Institutes across Bangladesh to Nursing Colleges to help bridge the huge gap in the Bangladesh nursing workforce.
Good HEAL Trust will launch this initiative by targeting and engaging in a long-term strategic partnership with 7 reputed Nursing Training Institutes in Bangladesh in order to most appropriately and cost-effectively upgrade these institutions to world-class Nursing Colleges capable of addressing the most pressing health workforce needs in Bangladesh. The new Nursing Colleges will offer 4-year B.Sc in Nursing, 2-year Post-basic B.Sc in Nursing for Diploma nurses, and 3-month Diploma in Specialized Nursing. The Nursing Colleges will adhere to WHO-approved curriculum and employ highly skilled faculty from Bangladesh and from collaborating partners in the US and India.
The initial 7 Nursing Institutes to be upgraded are:
| Name of Institution | Location | Objective | # new seats |
| Ibrahim Nursing College and Post-Graduate Nursing Institute (Diabetic Association of Bangladesh) | Faridpur | New | 70 |
| Sayma Ibrahim Nursing College (Diabetic Association of Bangladesh) | Gazipur | Upgrade | 50 |
| Diabetic Association Nursing Institute (Diabetic Association of Bangladesh) | Faridpur | Upgrade | 50 |
| North Bengal Nursing Institute (Diabetic Association of Bangladesh) | Sirajganj | Upgrade | 50 |
| Maa O Shishu Hospital Nursing Institute | Chittagong | Upgrade | 50 |
| Ibrahim Iqbal Nursing Institute | Chittagong | Upgrade | 50 |
| North East Medical College Nursing Institute | Sylhet | Upgrade | 50 |
| TOTAL # OF NEW SEATS (GRADUATE NURSES PER YEAR) | 370 | ||
In addition to upgrading Nursing Institutes to Nursing Colleges, Good HEAL Trust will focus on helping Nursing Colleges achieve operational sustainability to deliver high quality education and training thru a 5-year Build-Operate-Transfer engagement with each partner institute to establish a comprehensive system starting from visioning and structuring goals to sourcing and managing top class faculty.