Onyebuchi Ezigbo
3 November 2008
Abuja — Nigerian Nurses and Midwives have again expressed concern over the deteriorating state of healthcare system in the country, leading to high rate of infant and maternal deaths.
The health workers, under aegis of National Association of Nigerian Nurses and Midwives, lamented the poor state of health infrastructure, particularly at the primary and secondary health care levels, as well as the exodus of its members abroad in search of greener pastures.
The nurses said most of the health facilities in the nation's hospitals are in terrible state of dilapidation and could no longer offer the desired service.
Also of major concern to the nurses and midwives is the lingering frosty relationships between different cadres of health-care professionals in the country, which destroys the team spirit and cordial working atmosphere needed to improve the quality of service delivery.
In a communique issued by the Association yesterday, following conclusion of its fifth biennial and fourth quadrennial national delegates conference in Minna, Niger State, the Association called on health establishments to replace obsolete equipment with modern ones, as a necessary step towards reversing the nation's poor health status.
One of the key concerns expressed by the nurses is that government is doing much to check the brain drain in the health sector by motivating health workers.
"We call on the Federal Government to release the United Scheme of Service for nurses and midwives to encourage retention of members in the country.
Similarly, the Association requests that government reviews remuneration of health professionals and other welfare packages, to discourage their movement to other countries in search of better employment conditions," it said.
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And Malam Tarry-A-Doer should be held accountable for this when he canceled OBJ's contract to construct health centers for each local govt areas of the federation to cater for the poor, whereas King Tarry-A-Doer and his honchos could afford to junket around the world for health care programs that are not available at home for the common-man - what kind of "Servant-Leader" is that but a deciever who would say anything just to win an election. Even Allah frowns at such deceit.