Majda Slajmer Japelj
A unique leader and champion of nursing in the Countries of Central and Eastern Europe (CCEE) for more than 30 years, Majda Slajmer Japelj has worked tirelessly to raise the profile of nursing, especially primary health care nursing, across the region.
In the Balkans War, she played a key role in both supporting the nurses who remained on the front lines delivering health care, and the refugees that fled to Slovenia. She has been a beacon of inspiration for thousands of nurses who lived through the reconstruction of health care systems after the war, and the emergence of the Newly Independent States (NIS). A gifted linguist, she determinedly pursed senior politicians to secure the place of nursing in the re-emerging health care and educational systems.
In the early 1990s Majda set up the WHO European LEMON (Learning Material on Nursing) project, providing much needed learning resources for nurses and midwives across the region. Her later work with WHO delivered an educational programme for nurses and midwives in line with the rest of Europe.
The rich professional and knowledge culture of the RCN inspired Majda in her early career, and she continues to promote its ethical and professional culture wherever she goes: “Throughout my professional life I’ve been a teacher, and this award will help me enable a new generation of nurses in developed and transitioning nations to emulate the RCN’s example of creating an autonomous and needs-orientated nursing profession.”