There is no health without mental health: implementing the first mental health nursing postgraduate program in Fiji

Abstract

Despite the high demand for skilled care of mental health consumers, many countries experience difficulty attracting and maintaining a sufficiently educated and trained mental health workforce, including nurses. In developing countries such as Fiji, nurses are the primary providers of mental healthcare, yet often do so with minimal specialist education and training. In this paper, we discuss the development and implementation of the first mental health nursing postgraduate program in Fiji. We also raise critical issues in building successful educational partnerships between developed and developing countries, including those of capacity-building, managing organizational change, and achieving sustainability. In doing so, our aim is that our experiences may be helpful to others seeking to work together in similar ways.