As the Health sector crises continues, Nigerian Nurses have taken to social media on Medicalworld Nigeria to express their utter bewildment at the ignorance displayed on national television by the NMA President Dr. Obembe on Standard Infection control precautions.

 

The Nurses were reacting to comments credited to the NMA President where he stated "I gave an example before when i was demonstrating, i finished operating in an hospital in scotland and when i removed my glove the nurse who was asisting me in the theatre told me that gloove should come from my hand to her hand. that was her job. Your gloove cannot just go to the floor or to the DUSTBIN. thats what i am paid for. she said if you start droping it in the DUSTBIN the NHS would sack me and they would say am no longer useful for that job"

 

In a torrent of messages sent to Medicalworld Nigeria, The nurses termed his comments as derogatory and wondered how he lacked basic knowledge on how to dispose a gloove wondering if he intended droping his gloove on the floor before the nurse offered to show his how to discard a used gloove. 

 

According to the NHS Professionals: Standard Infection Control Precautions Scope of Guidance Page 11: "Used gloves should never be placed on environmental surfaces, but disposed of safely and IMMEDIATELY following use, as clinical waste, into appropriate receptacles" Thus the nurses wondered how a colleagues hands has become an "appropriate Receptacle" for his glooves.

 

Majority of the nurses comments were also related to his continued reference to  "DUST BIN" as a dust bin had no place in a sterile theatre where Dr obembe claimed to have done an operation. 

 

In a swift reaction, the Forum for Local Government Nurses and Midwives Chairman Lateef-Yusuf has Reacted to the NMA Presidents Derogatory Comments describing it as obnoxious. In a statement issued to Medicalworld Nigeria he remarked that:

 

These are some of the issues on ground wherein an abusive, offensive, undisciplined and uncouth individual, of the stone age will imply that Nurses are mere servants to Doctors and get away with it.

 

It is sad that a group of highly intelligent persons will have a moronic,over-fed, pot-bellied fool as it's leader. Nurses know their worth and roles and thus cannot be intimidated by an indecent, ego- driven and pampered nonentity seeking attention.

 

Nurses will not accept or tolerate such abusive behavior from any quarter as demonstrated by Dr. Obembe.

Imagine a man from whom people expect a well behaved and disciplined leader belittling, and insulting Nurses, aired live on television with the intention of making Nurses feel like the bottom of the food chain.

 

This must be challenged by our parent body and a retraction obtained from him.

Be that as it may, It will take more than a prejudiced and unprincipled bigot to get to us. We are still in charge of our clients, standing resolute and unmoved.

 

In the interest of industrial harmony in the health sector, the government should call Dr. Obembe and his likes to order.

Change is dynamic, and a time is coming in the nearest future when doctors will work on their own and Nurses too will do their work without dancing to the tune of silly individuals who see themselves as God just because they bear the title of GP.

He concluded by saying :it is a thousand times better to have common sense without education than to have education without common sense.