Date: 2019-08-02

The National Association of Nigeria Nurses and Midwives (NANM), Kwara state council, has called on Governor Abdulrazaq Abdulrahman to address some lingering issues confronting the association. According to the association, the challenges are gross shortage of nurses and midwives, poor remuneration for members, inadequate working equipment in the hospitals, implementation of 10 percent increase on the Consolidated Health Salary Structure (CONHESS) for their members at local government councils.

The Kwara state Chairman of NANNM, Comrade Joseph Adekanye said this Ilorin while speaking with our correspondent. Other challenges according to the chairman are renovation and funding of School of Midwifery Ilorin, colleges of nursing in Oke-Ode and Ilorin, amelioration of local government pensioners and settling identity crisis of nurses uniforms being adulterated by dental technicians in the state.

"We have very scanty specialties in our health facilities and the resultant effect has led to abnormal shifting system with severe adverse reactions on our members such as overbearing workload, unwarranted stress and collapse of caregivers on duties. "It is our plea that the government will look at these deplorable situations and take drastic step in employing more nurses and midwives into the system.

"The poor remuneration is sympathetic. A newly double qualified nurse/midwife in Oyo and Niger states earns CONHESS N105, 478.58 per month while the same earns N55,059.76 in Kwara state public service. The chairman further called for increased funding of colleges of nursing in Ilorin and Oke Ode, School of Midwifery to curb shortage of human resources in the state health facilities.