Rivers Nurses Protest Neglect, Marginalisation

The National Association of Nigeria Nurses and Midwives, Rivers State chapter has protested against the continued marginalization and neglect of Nurses, Midwives and Public Health Nurses working in all the health facilities in the 23 Local Government Areas of Rivers State.

The Association while staging the protest on Monday morning walked through some major roads of the State Capital to the State House of Assembly and Government House complained that they were neglected in the State Primary Health Care Management Board, explained that the protest is to follow up several protest letters written to the Governor, the State House of Assembly, the Ministry of Health and the Secretary to the Primary Health  Care Management Board over the continued neglect and marginalisation as they requested for  the liberation of Nurses and Midwives from the bondage.

Speaking to newsmen, the Chairperson of the National Association of Nigeria Nurses and Midwives (NANN), Rivers State chapter, Mrs.  Agatha Choko, noted that the Public Health Nurses are well trained to act in the absence of the doctors and prescribe drugs like the doctors in minor  ailments while midwives monitor, deliver pregnant mothers and stabilise their health without waiting for the doctors.

Mrs. Choko argued that if doctors are relevant and not neglected by the State Government, the Nurses, Midwives and the Public Health Nurses in the Health facilities should be accorded the same attention from the State Government since Nurses and doctors play key roles in the promotion of health care delivery in the State.

She called for the inclusion of Nursing Directorate in Primary Health Care Management Board, noting that the absence of the Directorate had led to the relegation of the Nurses to the mud by the doctors in the health facilities.

The Chairperson said the Nurses in the state want the retired members to be retained on contract basis because according to her, Nurses work for 32 years on service instead of 35 years and 53 years instead of 60 years retiring age for civil servants.

She also noted that it would enable the younger nurses to learn from the older ones.

“There should be inclusion of Nurses, Midwives and Public Health Nurses in the Primary Health Care Authority in the 23 local Government and the Nurses should not be posted by the Doctors or any other administrative officer in the State Primary Care Management Board, other than Nurses,” she said.

The Nurses condemned the placing of Public Health Nurses at par with programme officers in the operational guideline of the Rivers State Primary Health Care Management Board and asked for their inclusion in all Health committees formed in the Primary Health Care Management Board and the Ministry like the Laser Fever Committee, among others.

Mrs. however requested that graduate Nurses with Masters Degree in Public Health should be considered for the post of Co-ordinators of

Primary Health Care according to the circular of Primary Health Care and that the Acting Director of Nursing Service (D.N.S.) in Primary

Health Care Management Board should function independently instead of working under a unit.

Some of the placards carried by the protesting Nurses read: “Allow Nurses to function Independently,” “Nurses work for free,” “Stop Marginalization of Nurses in Rivers State,” “ERROR!! Nursing Directorate is Omitted,” “Give Nurses her independence,” “Nursing is

not under any profession” and “Enough is Enough”.