About the author:
Nazia Hussin is a registered nurse who began her nursing career with a Diploma in General Nursing (RN) from Aga Khan University in 2012. She further advanced her education by completing a Diploma in Cardiology Nursing (DICARD) in 2014 and a Midwifery Diploma (MIDI) from St. James School of Nursing. In 2017, she completed her Post-RN BScN from Aga Khan University. Nazia has gained valuable clinical experience working with Aga Khan University programs in Afghanistan and at Tabba Heart Institute, contributing to both general and specialized nursing care.
Nurses are recognized for their clinical role and
appreciated. However, their role as economic drivers is not always recognized.
Besides primary care providers for patient care, nurses contribute vital roles
in workforce productivity, public health care, and health care cost efficiency.
Nurses improve the economy by decreasing costs in the health care setting and
improving quality of life. (SaldÃas
Fernández & Luengo MartÃnez, 2022). There are some challenges, like nursing burnout, underpaid, salary
differences, and unsafe staff ratios, that need to be addressed. So, it is
essential to recognize nurses as economic actors, not just care providers, for
the suitable health care system and equal labor policy. Literature shows if
nurse health care organizations pay good salaries, it results in increased
nurse retention..(Mulisa et
al., 2022). This discussion is mainly applicable in the
context of Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) 8, which is Decent Work and
Economic Growth, as fairness in salary and safe working environments has a
direct relationship with economic stability. As nursing professionals are
highly diverse professions, addressing cultural and global labor differences is
key for the development of the economy.
Nurses’ roles are very important in economic stability by
reducing readmission to the hospital, improving patient outcome, and
maintaining workforce efficiency. Literature shows that adequate nurse
employment is decreasing healthcare costs and also helps in infection prevention
and early discharge..(Li et al.,
2025). But there are some challenges, like the gender pay gap, and the nursing
profession is female-dominant. According to literature, women's yearly wages
are more than men's. Another challenge is racial wage differences highlight
systemic injustices, like Black and Hispanic nurses’ salaries being less than
whites’ despite similar qualifications or education..(Dill &
Frogner, 2024). As well, worldwide nurse migration results in economic imbalances, like
the low-income part of the world losing skilled experts to the developed
countries, increasing healthcare inequalities. To overcome these challenges,
policymakers need to make modifications in the policy to ensure safe staffing
laws, good wages, and investment in nursing education, which increase nurses’
retention, reduce turnover, and enhance public health outcomes. According to
recent research in Pakistan, the policymaker should modify their policies to decrease
the brain drain of highly qualified people like nurses from the country..(Meo &
Sultan, 2023).
The contribution of nurses to economic development needs
to be central to the labor and health policy discussion forum. Without equality
in salary, a safe work environment, and equal opportunities, nursing shortages
will continue, developing healthcare systems and economic conditions worldwide.
Policymakers should make nurses friendly and reform labor. On the other hand,
healthcare organizations need to invest in workforce security to increase
productivity. The nursing profession is an example of workforce resilience and
gender equality for economists and business leaders. It is very vital to
develop policies that will acknowledge nurses as a foundation for economic
development. Policy makers, particularly nurses who are in leadership
positions, need to advocate for equal pay laws. The nurses need to be
recognized in economic development not only for care provider roles in the
world.
References
Dill, J. S., &
Frogner, B. K. (2024). The gender wage gap among health care workers across
educational and occupational groups. Health
Affairs Scholar, 2(1), qxad090.
https://doi.org/10.1093/haschl/qxad090
Li,
Y., Aiken, L. H., Becker, E. R., Razmpour, O., Landerfelt, P., Kang, Y. J.,
& Cimiotti, J. P. (2025). The effect of registered nurse staffing and skill
mix on length of stay and hospital costs. Nursing
Outlook, 73(2), 102356.
DOI:
10.1016/j.outlook.2025.102356
Meo,
S. A., & Sultan, T. (2023). Brain drain of healthcare professionals from
Pakistan from 1971 to 2022: Evidence-based analysis. Pakistan Journal of Medical Sciences, 39(4), 921.
DOI: https://doi.org/10.12669/pjms.39.4.7853
Mulisa, D., Tolossa, T., Oluma Ayana, A., Regasa, M. T.,
Bayisa, L., Abera, T., Mosisa, A., Wakuma, B., Etafa, W., & Tsegaye, R.
(2022). Nurses
are leaving the nursing profession: A finding from the willingness of the
nurses to stay in the nursing profession among nurses working in selected
public hospitals of Wollega Zones, Oromia, Ethiopia. SAGE Open Medicine, 10,
20503121221081755.
doi: 10.1177/20503121221081755
SaldÃas Fernández, M. A., & Luengo MartÃnez, C. (2022). Influence of Nursing in Health Economics: an Integrative Review of Literature. Revista Salud Uninorte, 38(1), 254-277. DOI: https://doi.org/10.14482/sun.38.1.610.73
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