Ohrid, Republic of North Macedonia – 25 September 2026
The Director of the South-Eastern Europe Health Network (SEEHN) Secretariat, Dr Tatiana Păduraru, participated on 25 September in the 6th International Congress of the Macedonian Association of Nurses and Midwives (MANM) in Ohrid, held under the theme “A Profession that Inspires Care. Dedication that Changes Lives.”
Addressing participants from North Macedonia and the wider region, Dr Păduraru highlighted the increasingly strategic role of nurses and midwives in resilient, people-centred health systems, emphasising that nursing today extends beyond care delivery to include leadership, education, research, advocacy, management and participation in health-policy development.
“I would add one more word to the Congress theme: leadership,” Dr Păduraru said, stressing that nurses and midwives must be enabled to use their education and competencies fully and to contribute to decisions shaping health services and policies.
The Congress addressed a broad range of issues, including nursing leadership, workforce development, digital transformation and artificial intelligence, patient safety, quality of care, emergency preparedness, professional development, mental health, ageing and community-based care.
From a regional perspective, Dr Păduraru highlighted that SEEHN’s nine Member States face many shared challenges, including health workforce shortages and migration, changing population needs, increasing demand for chronic and long-term care, technological transformation and the need to strengthen health-system resilience.
She also highlighted SEEHN’s regional mechanisms for advancing nursing and midwifery cooperation, including the Regional Health Development Centre (RHDC) on Nursing and Midwifery, hosted by Romania, and the WHO Regional Collaboration Centre in Israel. These mechanisms provide important channels for regional exchange, professional collaboration and the development of nursing and midwifery leadership.
“SEEHN stands ready to support and accelerate reforms, strengthen regional learning and promote nursing and midwifery leadership across South-Eastern Europe,” Dr Păduraru emphasised.
SEEHN congratulates the Macedonian Association of Nurses and Midwives and the Organising Committee for convening the Congress and bringing together professionals and partners around the future of nursing and midwifery in the region.
