NAN-HG-12
Nurses
By Omowunmi Alake
Lagos, Sept. 28, 2016 (NAN) Federal Government should create an enabling environment for health professionals to address the challenge of brain drain, National Association of Nigerian Nurses and Midwives (NANNM) said on Wednesday.
Mr Abdulrafiu Adeniji, the National President of the association, made the call in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Lagos.
Adeniji spoke on the sidelines of a scientific conference organised by the West African College of Nursing with the theme: “Advancing Nursing and Healthcare: The Emerging Possibilities and Challenges.’’
According to him, NANNM and the Nursing Council of Nigeria are conducting researches on the issue of brain drain.
“We want to find out what is causing labour mobility, and we have found out that people are not being motivated; they are deprived and not being treated well.
“It is not money alone that makes people to travel out of the country to practice; sometimes, they do not have the freedom to practice effectively.
“We need to negotiate for better conditions of service with the government,’’ Adeniji said.
He said that without specialisation, patients would not get the quality services they required for improved healthcare delivery.
“We need more specialised professionals in the health sector as this will not only improve quality healthcare services, but also improve lives of our patients.
“There is also a major challenge where there are specialised people, but are not employed.
“The association is also collaborating with nurses in Diaspora for them to come back and impact what they had gained abroad on those practicing in the country.
“The time has come for us to start thinking of innovative ways to advance nursing and healthcare in the country,’’ Adeniji said. (NAN)
AOI/VIV
(Edited by Vivian Ihechu/controlled by Olagoke Olatoye)