The Special Adviser to the President on health, Dr Salma Anas-Kolo, has expressed the Federal Government’s commitment to addressing the concerns of Nurses and Midwives to keep them happy and boost service delivery.
While speaking on efforts to improve healthcare, maternal and child health, Salma-Kolo promised that the government would resolve issues raised by the National Association of Nigeria Nurses and Midwives, NANNM, to encourage the medics to put in their best.
NANNM members had staged protests in Abuja and Lagos to express their displeasure over what they described as an attempt to hinder their freedom to pursue career opportunities.
They specifically urged the nursing regulatory council to address concerns bordering on welfare, salary scale, staff shortages and other rights.
The nursing council, in its revised guidelines, stated that applicants seeking verification of certificates from foreign nursing boards and councils must possess two years of post-qualification experience from the date of issuance of the permanent practicing licence.
Salma-Kolo, while promising to look into the concerns, said that the government would strive to improve the working environment and welfare of healthcare workers in the country.
The adviser said that Nurses and Midwives were the faces of healthcare delivery as they usually spend more time with patients than any other medic.
“So, they are very important to us and very critical in terms of nursing care and the delivery of healthcare, even when there are no doctors,” she said.
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