Projects under the Directorate General of Nursing and Midwifery:

Human Resources for Health (HRH) in Bangladesh Project

The Department of Foreign Affairs, Trade and Development awarded Cowater, in association with Plan International Canada, McMaster University and the Canadian Association of Schools of Nursing, this contract to improve maternal and neonatal health status of poor women, girls and boys. The project, with funding from the Government of Canada, provides technical assistance, equipment, and teaching and learning aids to the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare to improve the quality of education for nurse midwives and community skilled birth attendants. It also provides support to the Ministry to rationalize the rules for recruiting, posting, promoting and training nurse midwives. The project will work directly with the Directorate of Nursing Services, the Bangladesh Nursing Council and the Human Resource Development Unit of the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare in Bangladesh.

Major Achevements of the HRH project:

• Elevating Nursing Directorate to Director General status: HRH Project started process in 2012
• HRH assisted establishment of BNLN (including its web-site) and received training 23 senior nurses (BNLN members)
• Established National Task Force (NTF)
• HRH has encouraged resumption of National Nursing Policy Planning Committee (NNPPC)
• 11 NIME (Nursing Institute Monitoring & Evaluation)visits conducted
• 2 days training for 21 NIME monitors completed in July 2016
• TA to establish a dress code for nursing
• Established DGNM website, PMIS and its functional and approx. 27,500 public sector nurse HR records entered into web-based PMIS till date; Key staff (DGNM-HQ, MOHFW, DPHNs & NI In-charges) trained to be able to take on the PMIS; Super user’s of DGNM-PMIS deployed by division
• Electronic database for BNC handed over; all historical RNM records (>39,000) entered into database
• Accreditation guideline finalized and submitted to BNMC for approval
• Three HR policy guideline approved on 15 Feb 2017
• Procurement is completed. Distribution is ongoing and will be completed in March 2017.
• Actual renovation/repair work at 15 NIs completed and hand over of the 15 renovated NIs to DNS/MOHFW and respective NI In-charges completed
• Skill enhancement training provided to selected 100 private CSBAs to address identified skill gaps.
• BCC/IEC materials (Poster, Stickers, Sign Board, Message Boards, Wall Calendar and Desk Calendar)  developed and used. 28 Union level fair and more than 1,000 Theater for Development (TfD) shows conducted.
• 60 Community Groups and 28 UP Education, Health and Family Planning Standing Committees trained
• CSBAs Supervision Monitoring, BCC and Referral system piloted at Lalmonirhat district to demonstrate increased utilization of CSBAs services