Nursing association wants FG to accord members same recognition as others in health sector

NAN-H-39
Nursing
By Deborah Coker
Benin, Nov. 14, 2017 (NAN) The Federal Government has been urged to accord  same recognition to every worker in the health sector.

Mr Wale Olatunde, National Chairman, National Association of Nigeria Nurses and Midwives, Federal Health Institutions Sector, said this in Benin City on Tuesday at the 32nd National Scientific Conference.

Olatunde said that this would foster better  cordial relationship and stop the competition between doctors and other health professionals in the sector.

He said that  “government gives undue favouritism to medical doctors to the detriment of other professionals in the sector”.

He encouraged government to respect and give recognition to the roles of each personnel in the health sector.

He stressed that until there was fairness in the health sector, the rivalry between doctors and other health professionals would remain.

Olatunde also said that there was need for government to modify existing policies rather than making new policies.

He lamented that in most cases, policy makers had no first hand information of the real situation as they never visited the field.

He, therefore, asked that the association should be part of policy making for the health growth of the health sector, adding that Public/Private Partnership (PPP) was good but the concept in Nigeria was wrong.

He also charged government to monitor funds being released to the sector to ensure that they were judiciously utilized.

The Chairman also said that the association was doing its best in capacity building for its members as well as working hard on attitudinal behaviour of some of its members.

In his remarks, Prof. Eugene Okpere, a Consultant Obstetrician and Gynaecologist, said that there was the need for nurses to re-enact the concept of empathy and care, which they were known for.

He, however,advised  that government should also improve the  remuneration of practitioners.

He urged government to be upright and firm in its policy formulation as well as take responsibility for decisions made.

The Chief Medical Director of the University of Benin Teaching Hospital (UBTH), Dr Darlington Obaseki, in his goodwill message advised nurses to also take care of themselves as they take care of patients.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the conference which is holding between Nov. 12 and Nov. 18, has “Repositioning the Nigerian Nurse for current Trends in Health Policy and Health Care Delivery” as the 2017 theme. (NAN)
DCO/IFY/PAD

===========:

Edited by Ify Omowole/Peter Dada