COMMUNIQUE ISSUED AT THE END OF THE NATIONAL EXECUTIVE COUNCIL (NEC) MEETING OF THE NATIONAL ASSOCIATION OF NIGERIA NURSES AND MIDWIVES (NANNM) HELD ON THE 23RD AND 24TH AUGUST 2017 AT HOTEL DE BENTLEY, PLOT 392, NGOZI OKWONJO IWELA STREET, UTAKO DISTRICT, ABUJA. 

 

The National Association of Nigeria Nurses and Mid wives(NANNM) met at her quarterly regular National Executive Council (NEC) meeting comprising of state Chairmen and Secretaries from 36 states and FCT, Specialists groups and representatives of pressure groups from Federal Health Institutions, Local Governments. and Association of Private General Nurses and Midwives Practitioners and discussed exhaustively on issues bordering on Nigeria health care services, state of infrastructure, Nigeria health care policies and management, Nigeria security matters, the Nursing Profession, the welfare of her members and resolved thus: 

1. NEC-in-session thanked and appreciated the Hon. Minister of FCT for the provision of a conducive and peaceful environment for the meeting of our noble Professional Association. 

 

2. The Association appreciated God for the recovery and the return of President Muhammadu Buhari GCON and prayed God to grant him good health to continue the fight against corruption and related crimes and thereby entre rich the nascent Nigeria democracy. 

 

 

3• Members expressed profound gratitude to the office of the Head of Civil Service of the Federation, Federal Ministry of Health and indeed the Federal Government of Nigeria for the well-deserved Unified Scheme of Services approved for Nurses and Midwives which recognises the professional status of Nursing, Lateral conversion for those that have acquired Bachelor of Nursing Sciences (BN.S) and internship for fresh graduates of Nursing sciences. However, NEC-in-Session urges the government through the Head of Civil Service of the Federation to act promptly in gazetting the scheme without further delay. It is equally noted with concern that the Federal Ministry of Health need to accede to the request of the Association to effect proper placement of Nurses interns. 

 

4. The meeting noted with great concern the lack of equipment and tools in all the health facilities in the country that have affected the delivery of quality Health Care to the Nigeria citizens and therefore canon the Federal Ministry of Health (FMOH) and respective managements of Federal Health institutions and by extension States and Local Governments owned health institutions to do the needful in this regard. 

 

5. The NEC-in--session rejects in totality the promotion of our members from one grade level to the same grade level amounting to titular promotion, stagnation in some cases demotion and or re-designation in the Federal Health institutions and calls on the -authorities concerned to correct the anomaly with immediate effect. 

 

6. Proliferation of quackery in nursing profession The NEC- in- Passion also observed with consternation the high rate of quackery in the health sector most especially among the nursing profession. It may interest the Nigeria populace to know that this singular act is more deadly than AIDS and can only be compared with deadly viral hemorrhagic fever, a lot of innocent souls are being sent to the journey of NO RETURN by the perpetrators of this criminal act. The general public should know that Registered Nurses cannot be trained by medicine stores, private hospitals, Non-Government organisations ( NGO) or any religious 'organization except an accredited and registered training institution It is on this note that NEC in session implores all well-meaning Nigerians to join hands with the Association in pursuing its vigorous anti-quackery campaign in collaboration with the Nursing and Midwifery Council of Nigeria. The general public have the right to know the professional steles of the Nurse attending to them. The general public, government and mass media should be actively involved in campaign to reduce the menace of quackery to the barest minimal as this criminal act has no respect for status, ethnic or religion. We urge the Nigeria law makers to assist in the need for amending the existing anti quackery law as contained in the Nursing and Midwifery amendment Act, CAP 143 (LFN 2004) to address the current threat and tackle headlong the social ill and criminal act of quackery in contrannity with present day realitynursingworldnigeria.com

 

7. Consultant cadre in Nursing — The NEC-in-Session viewed with great concern that the Federal Ministry of Health is not living up to expectation by appointing Nurse Consultants in accordance with the laid down principles and in line with National Industrial Court of Nigeria (NICN) judgement. The NEC therefore call on Federal government to commence without further delay residency training for Nursing and Midwifery Scientist as applicable in developed and even other countries in Africa. 

 

B. Teaching and rural Allowances — The NEC frowned at the non-payment of teaching and rural allowances for our deserving members and urge the Federal Ministry of Health to stop forthwith selective deprivation and injustice against some cadre of Nurses and Midwives. 

 

9. Uniform allowance- The members of NEC resolved that the non-payment of uniform allowances to our members running into many months of arrears left unpaid is against the tenets of equity and social justice and is capable of affecting the productivity of the deserving professionals and have negative effects on clinical services. Therefore, a clarion call goes to The FMOH to conduct urgent roll call of the institutions that are affected with the view to direct them to pay without further delay.

 

10. The NEC-in-Session also calls on the Federal Government to intensify more effort in combating the resurgence of lassa fever and other emerging communicable diseases in the country. It is pertinent to mention that there is abundant human resources for preventive, promotive and other aspect of Primary Health Care that are currently underutilized in Public Health Nurses in Nigeria. 

 

11. The NEC-in-session condemned and frowned at the hate speeches especially in the social media and call on all Nigerians irrespective of our differences to be each other's brother keeper for unity, peace and progress of Nigeria. Though tribes and tongues may differ, we should continue to stand in brotherhood as a nation. 

 

12. National Executive Council (NEC) in session is worried on the frail state of security in the country, via-a-vis the resurgence of bombings of soft targets and kidnapping and other security challenges across the country and therefore appeals to the Federal government, Nigerians and security agencies to intensify more efforts in combating this ugly trend. 

 

13. The NEC members appreciated and commended the vote in favour of local government autonomy by the National Assembly and urge all the state assemblies to do same. This will empower o ur members working relentlessly to deliver professional safe and qualitative services to healthcare consumers in all the rural areas of Nigeria. 

 

14. The NEC-in-session calls on all Nurses and Midwives to key into the database of the Association and that of the Nursing and Midwifery Council of Nigeria as it will enhance proper and adequate planning, to sanitise the system from quackery, improves our country human resources development for health and expedite professional growth and development. 

 

15. The NEC-in-session is calling on all Nurses and Midwives to demonstrate commitment in discharging their professional responsibilities. However, the Federal Ministry of Health should also protect the Professional Nurses and Midwives in the performance of their professional duties rather than. the undue incursion into Nurses and Midwives professional duties especially in reproductive health care services to stem the tide of maternal and infant mortality in Nigeria. 

 

16. The N EC-in-Session concluded that under-budgeting and lack of adequate financing is the bedrock of inadequate quality of care and poor health care services outcome, and urged the executive and legislature at Federal, State and Local Government levels to increase budgetary allocation into Nigeria health care system to at least meet the African agreed standard of 15% budgetary allocation as contained in Abuja declaration of April, 200J by Heads of Stases of African Union. it was equally resolved that the time is now to implement the fund allocation clause as contained in the-Nigeria Health Act to consolidate Primary Health care services. 

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17. The NEC-in-Session called on dm President and Commander-in-chief of Armed Forces of Nigeria to mobilise resources to transform the International best practices with which the President was treated in the United Kingdom(UK) and as obtainable in developed nations, to be iretractable on our health care system to curb the current trend of capital flight involved in medical tourism, the bane of -under development in our health care system in Nigeria. 

 

18. The NEC-in-session also congratulates all Nurses elected or appointed into various political positions   and urge them to perform to the best of their abilities, shun corruption and be good ambassadors of our noble profession. We call on well-meaning Nurses and Midwives to engage in the political activities to further contribute their quota to nation building and development aside our unique service to humanity

 

The NEC-in-session appreciates the Federal Government and Honourable Minister of Health for constituting the Board of the Nursing and Midwifery Council of Nigeria (NMCN). however the NEC-in-session also calls on the Federal Ministry of Health to reconstitute boards of the Federal Health institutions to facilitate effective service delivery in these institutions and curb increasing mal-administration and excesses presently vested in Chief Medical Directors, Medical Directors, Provost of Federal Teaching Hospitals, Federal Medical Centres and Specialist Hospitals respectively. 

 

The continuous peace and harmony in the health sector can no longer be guaranteed, if the Federal Ministry and the Federal Government fail to abide by the various agreements reached for the betterment of the Nursing Profession, and the Health Sector. 

Signed: Nurse Abdrafiu Adeniji National President 

COM T. A. SHETIMA General Secretary