NANNM President visited the office of Minister of Health, Dr. Osagie Ehanire last weekend with the new Executive members of the National Association of Nigeria Nurses and Midwives (NANNM).
The minister disclosed government is aware of infrastructural and equipment decay in some health institutions and was planning for full scale rehabilitation before the upsurge of COVID-19 pandemic.
He urged the association to be patient for government to recover from unexpected expenditure from COVID-19, pointing out that as far as COVID-19 is concerned, Nigeria is not yet out of the woods, and there is no reason for over confidence or celebration.
“We are not yet accepting congratulations until we know where we are’’, he stated.
He appealed to the nurses and midwives to help government to emphasise on compliance to COVID-19 protocols.
Ehanire said the World Health Organisation (WHO) has declared the year 2020 as the Year of Nurses based on the relentless services nurses render to the hospitals in the whole world.
He also said that 2021 has been designated by WHO as ‘’International Year of Healthcare Workers’’ to appreciate the significant roles of Nurses and Midwives to mankind.
Ehanire said ‘’it is very clear that what define the quality and competence of good hospitals in the whole world is the quality of services nurses render to their patients.
He said that nursing and midwifery profession is an extremely important part of the health care service.
The minister commended all the health workers for the services they rendered especially since the outbreak of COVID-19.
He used the opportunity to commensurate with some of them who lost their lives and those afflicted with one type of infectious disease or the other, while delivering services to the nation and mankind.
A statement by the Head of the Publicity Unit of the Ministry, Nwokike Brendan said the Permanent Secretary, Alhaji Abdulazizi Mashi Abdullahi, also said that government is aware of shortage of nurses and midwives in some hospital and lifted ban on employment to the health sector.
He added that right now, some health institutions are engaging in recruitment drive to fill the gaps in their respective organisations.
Abdullahi asked the association to forward the approved new Unified Scheme of Service for Nurses and Midwives issued by the Office of the Head of Service of the Federation, so that he would take it up.