The UP College of Nursing Collaborating Center for Nursing Development in Primary Health Care

Officially designated as one of WHO's Collaborating Centers for Nursing Development (CCND), the UP College of Nursing in the Philippines will take on a leading role in achieving "health for all" through primary health care (PHC). The 1978 Declaration of Alma-Ata called for the goal of health for all by the year 2000, and recognized the key role of the nursing profession in this effort. In order to be designated a WHO collaborating center, an institution must be able to provide scientific and technical leadership at the national and international level, must be a stable institution, and must have the capacity to contribute to WHO programs. A WHO collaborating center forms part of an international network of institutions. Having become such a center, the UP College will form part of the Global Network for Nursing Development, organized in March 1987. The Global Network's functions include: 1) coordinating activities and promoting technical cooperation; 2) disseminating and exchanging informational; 3) monitoring trends in health services development and assessing their implications for nursing development; 4) supporting research; 5) gathering support and resources; and 6) promoting the goals of nursing development. As part of the Global Network, the UP College has developed a 4-year plan to fulfill the network's functions. During the June 1989 inauguration of the CCND, the Philippine Secretary of Health, Dr. Alfredo R. A. Bengzon, noted the country's lopsided ratio of health personnel per population, and issued a challenge to the UP College to lead the country in accelerating nursing development.