Chairperson Advises Nurses On Professionalism

Rivers Nurses in Rivers State have been charged to discharge their duties in line with  the ethics of the nursing profession.

Chairperson of National Association of Nigeria Nurses and Midwives (NANNM), Rivers State Chapter, Mrs Juliet Berewari, gave this charge in her welcome address at the celebration of this year’s International Nurses Week in Port Harcourt, Monday.

Mrs Berewari, explained  this  year’s theme “Closing the Gap: Increasing Access and Equity” explained that the issues raised in it would be resolved if nurses approached their duties with professionalism and respect for  ethics of Nursing.

She observed, however, that the availability of healthcare services depended largely to availability of skilled nursing manpower, pointing out that there is a continuous shortage of manpower in specialised areas such as neuro-psychiatry, Orthopedic, aniesthesia, theatre and burns among others.

She also noted that  shortage of nursing educators and specialist nursing exist due  to retirement and called for their replacement to boost the sector.

She further said that   school  was presently operating on partial accreditation and appealed for  machineries to be put in place  to facilitate accreditation of the school.

She stated that to achieve accessible and equitable healthcare services, particularly primary healthcare, nurses should  be included in policy making, especially the primary health care management board.

She used the opportunity to thank the state governor, Rt. Hon. Chibuike Rotimi Amaechi achievements.

In a keynote address, Dr. Ernest Achalu, of the Department of Human Kinetics and Health Education, University of  Port Harcourt, stated that the barriers to  access to health care service include lack of availability of health care services  interms of   manpower and material resources, cost of health care, lack of knowledge and information as well as discrimination.

He  urged  nurses to combine their practice with public health if they must succeed in closing the gap between urban and rural dwellers and between the rich and the poor.

High point of the occasion was the commissioning of the Nurses House and the presentation of a post humus award to one of the deceased members Mr. Augustine Ozegbe.