International Institute of Health Science (IIHS), Sri Lanka’s premier and leading healthcare education institute renowned for the high quality education provided for nurses in Sri Lanka recently entered into a collaboratory partnership with James Cook University of Australia.

The partnership was one of key highlights as IIHS celebrated the “Year of the Nurse and Midwife” declaration by World Health Organisation by hosting a conference in Sri Lanka in February. A MoU was signed between IIHS and Professor Ian Wronski – Vice Chancellor of JCU to commence a collaboration facilitating pathway programs to Australia in Nursing and other health related fields.

The conference was well organized and attended by both local and international nurses particularly from the James Cook University (JCU), further strengthening the newly formed partnership. The conference attracted Heads of Nursing from the State and Private sector in Sri Lanka as well as students from Nursing schools in Sri Lanka and IIHS students.

The audience was drawn in by the reputed line up of speakers at the conference which included Dr. Nihal De Silva (Dean/Co-Founder IIHS),  Dr. Kithsiri Edirisinghe (CEO/Co-Founder IIHS), Dr. Helena Harrison (Lecturer Nursing and Midwifery, JCU), Prof. Melanie Birks (Head of Nursing and Midwifery, JCU) and Ms. Thilanka Jagoda (Nursing Tutor – School of Nursing – Galle). The guest speakers from the James Cook University were a key highlight as they provided much needed insight and exposure to the international nursing arena.

Dr. Kithsiri Edirisinghe, CEO & Co-Founder IIHS commented,  “We are excited about our new partnership and look forward to building new bridges as we reach for the new realms of nursing care.” He further stated, “We are passionately committed towards enriching the knowledge of our nurses and are confident that ventures of this nature will help our nurses to be on par with international nursing staff in terms of expertise and professionalism.”

The World Health Organization has declared 2020 as the “Year of the Nurse and Midwife” in honor of the 200th birth anniversary of Florence Nightingale. IIHS has made attempts to strengthen existing systems whilst uplifting the professional status of nurses with the clear objectives of providing a platform for nursing professionals locally and internationally to engage in professional development programs in the form of conferences, seminars and workshops and in creating awareness among the public regarding the multidimensional aspects of the profession of nursing. The theme for the year “2020 - Reducing Stigma, Increasing Professionalism and Transforming Policy” aims at reducing the stigma surrounding the profession thereby improving the professional image and increasing recruitment to the profession which would lead to better nurse to patient ratios as long term objectives.

James Cook University is a world-class university ranked in the top two per cent of tertiary institutions in the world as declared by the  2019 Academic Ranking of World Universities and has been identified as a recognized and well received establishment among the top 40 of modern universities according to the Times Higher Education University rankings in 2019. Home to over 22,000 students, JCU offers internationally-renowned teaching and research excellence backed by an impressive calibre of teaching and research staff who work passionately to prepare graduates for the workforce by experiencing real-life scenarios. The University works  continuously to make ground-breaking advances in research offering access to learning with the aid of the latest technology and comprehensive libraries both on-campus and online.

Backed by the resource panel at the IIHS Faculty of Nursing, the institute will be hosting several academic sessions throughout the year in celebration of the “Year of the Nurse”. The Institute is also looking at forming strategic international collaborations and partnerships to further strengthen its position in the education sector and elevating the quality of education provided for nursing care professionals in Sri Lanka.