• Threatens to join health workers’ strike

The National Association of Nigerian Nurses and Midwives, NANNM, yesterday raised an alarm over the need by the federal and state governments to recruit young nurses to replace many which it said are ageing.

National President of the association, Abdrafiu Adeniji, disclosed this to journalists at a briefing to mark this year’s International Nurses Week in Abuja.

According to him, if the trend remains, the best would not be gotten from the health professionals, which he noted, might create avenues for quacks to dominate the profession.

His words: “The rate of migration of Nigerian nurses within the year 2003 and 2005 doubles the rate at which supply of nurses within 2007 and 2009.

“There was a zero rate of growth and today, while the rate at which we turn out the nurses and midwives was at 2.6 per cent; the rate of Nigerian population growth is 3.2 per cent.

“This density of nurse-population ratio is a danger signal. Even the profile of nurse/midwives has shown that the majority of Nigerian nurses in the public service are more to people who have spent 28-30 years in service.

“The implication of this is that in about five years’ time, the rate of retirement of nurses will be so alarming. The effect of this drastic shortage is leading to workplace hazard, burnout, stress and even untimely death.”

Adeniji added: “We, therefore, want to call on the government to specifically look into recruitment of nurses as a matter of urgency.

“Government at all levels are also called upon to improve the attention, recognition and financing of institutions where nurses are being trained to address the spate at which the schools are losing accreditation.”

The NANNM leadership also stated that it was concerned about ‘the lip service’ the Federal Ministry of Health is paying to medical tourism.

They said that universal health coverage might not yield expected results if urgent steps are not taken to address challenges in the health sector.

The association called for occupational safety for health workers, given the current insecurity challenges in the country.

It maintained that in recent times, hoodlums had invaded health facilities, attacking health workers and forcefully abducting new-borns, while facilities are being torched.

Meanwhile, the NANNM has condemned the abduction of over 200 girls in Chibok, Borno State.

In another development, the nurses have threatened to join other health workers who had earlier given the Federal Government a 15-day ultimatum to proceed on strike on issues which they said are “lopsided and unlawful constitution of boards of managements of various tertiary health institutions.

The NANNM also frowned at what it termed non-invitation of some appointed members of umbrella health union, JOHESU to board meetings; retirement age of health workers at 60, (instead of 65 years); non-promotion of officers from CONHESS 14 to 15 as directors; and noncirculation of proper placement of intern medical laboratory on CONHESS 8.