The National Association of Nigerian Nurses and Midwives (NANNM), has decried the continuous heading of the University of Calabar Teaching Hospital (UCTH) by medical doctors.
A nursing educator, Hon. Joe Bisong, who expressed regrets over the continued heading of the teaching hospital by medical doctors told correspondents in Calabar that the development was unfortunate.
“We advocate that teaching hospitals should have trained administrators to manage them administratively. When it comes to professional responsibilities, the Deans and Consultants of various departments should head their departments.
“But, when it comes to administration, the hospitals should be headed by the administrators. So, if they allow the head of the establishment to be headed by any other professional, a nurse should be allowed to grow to head teaching hospitals too.
“The monopoly of that office by the doctors is not accepted by us. The medical doctors think they should be the only ones that should head the administrative units of the teaching hospital”.
He said the general perception was that, when you get to a hospital, it is not only a nurse that you will see. “No, there are several professional bodies that work in a therapeutic milieu, so we cannot expect one professional body, the doctors to continue heading the teaching hospitals,” he noted.
“The nurse is a nursing staff that is working in a hospital community and should also benefit from the big office of CMD,” he stressed.

By: Friday Nwagbara, Calabar