The Kwara State Council of the National Association of Nurses and Midwives has issued a 21-day ultimatum to the state government to accede to its demands or face industrial action.

In a Save-Our-Soul letter to Governor Abdulrahman Abdulrazaq, signed by Markus Luka, the council, emphasising the need for urgent improvement in the working conditions of its members, complained about the gross shortage of nurses and poor remuneration and hazard allowance, among other issues.

The council noted: “Presently, in all the general hospitals across the state, and local governments, a single nurse attends to over 40 patients; this is suicidal and totally unacceptable to our noble profession and global best practice.

“The problem has further contributed to the poor healthcare service delivery to our patients as well as contributing to the brain drain of nurses in the state.”

The letter further stated: “The state government under Governor Abdulrazaq, added to our take-home pay last year which brought our consolidated health salary scale to 70%; [still,] this is grossly low when compared with what is operating in all other states of the federation.”

The council said the development has contributed to the mass exodus of nurses to neighbouring states and overseas in search of greener pastures.

It, therefore, called on the state government to urgently look into the immediate recruitment of at least 500 nurses, implement the N32,000 to N34,000 hazard allowance as approved for nurses by the federal government and also review and improve their wages.

“Failure to meet up with the above resolutions within 21 days commencing from June 26, 2023, to July 27, 2023, by midnight, the entire nurses of Kwara State will have no choice than to down tools, ” the letter warned.