Coordinating Nursing Practice and Education
Based in Arusha, Tanzania, the East, Central and Southern African College of Nursing (ECSACON) promotes the sustainable development of nursing. The organization, which celebrated its 10th anniversary in 2000, includes representation from 14 countries: Botswana, Kenya, Lesotho, Malawi, Mauritius, Mozambique, Namibia, Seychelles, South Africa, Swaziland, Tanzania, Uganda, Zambia and Zimbabwe.

PRIME II supported ECSACON’s quality improvement initiative, which aims to harmonize basic nursing and midwifery practice and education in the region. Through the collaborative efforts of ministries of health, educational institutions, and nursing and midwifery membership organizations, ECSACON works to promote the quality of care and excellence of the profession within the region, and to facilitate the sharing of expertise and human resources among member states. Five biennial conferences have been held to share research findings.

PRIME II provided technical assistance in the development of the ECSACON Professional Regulatory Framework, which sets regional guidelines and standards for nursing and midwifery. In addition, PRIME helped ECSACON to revise and design a manual, HIV/AIDS: A Guide for Nurse-Midwives and Other Health Care Workers, which supports nurse-midwives in their vital role in HIV/AIDS prevention, treatment and care in the region. Topics covered in the guide include epidemiology of HIV/AIDS, clinical manifestation and diagnosis, caring for infected people, care of the carer, mother-to-child transmission, and legal and ethical issues related to HIV/AIDS.