By Fatimah Idera and Helen Okechukwu
Nigeria’s healthcare system has suffered another setback as the National Association of Nigeria Nurses and Midwives – Federal Health Institutions Sector (NANNM-FHI) embarked on a seven-day strike following unmet demands, leaving patients in dire conditions with little to no adequate medical attention.
Recall that on 14 July, the association issued a 15-day ultimatum to the Federal Government (FG) to respond, but unfortunately, their demands were not met.
Despite being major players in the healthcare system, Morakinyo Rilwan claims that they have been neglected for over 40 years.
The association is demanding improved welfare services and better healthcare tools. Meanwhile, the Chairperson of NANNM, National Hospital Chapter, Joe Akpi, told Premium Times that if their demands remain unmet, the situation may escalate into an indefinite strike.
With the strike expected to continue until 5 August, nurses under the public healthcare system are restricted from rendering their services.
Speaking with New Daily Prime, Ologe Ruth, a registered and practising Nurse Midwife of Afe Babalola Multisystem Hospital with six years of experience in Ado-Ekiti, explained the impact of the ongoing strike on average Nigerians (patients).
Describing nurses as the “heartbeat and front-runners” of the healthcare system, Nurse Ruth noted that patients will face inadequate healthcare services.
Highlighting the role of nurses, she said that due to the strike, routine administrative duties – including physical examinations and patient observation – will not be carried out.
“So an average Nigerian that is now coming to healthcare won’t receive the optimum care that is required,” she said.
“Nurses do a lot in the healthcare system. They manage the wards, they take on side duties, they nurse the patients, and it goes beyond medical attention. It is about treating patients side by side to know their needs. Now that the strike is on, there will be no one to attend to the basic psychological needs of patients.
‘Doctors cannot manage bed space – in fact, they don’t know their way around it. Nurses do that; we manage bed spaces for patients, including those who are immobile. These are the things we handle in the healthcare system.
“If nurses are on strike, there is absolutely nothing good left in the system.”
She further explained the significance of nurses and midwives, “When a patient is coming into the hospital, it is the nurses that first respond. So we are like the first defence system to an average Nigerian, which happens to be a patient. So if there are no nurses available, then there is no reception, there is no direct consultation that will attend to a patient.”
Way forward
Nurse Ruth urged the government to attend to the association’s demands, stressing that nurses are underrated. She also called for the employment of more nurses, citing low staffing levels in the healthcare sector.
“They should improve hospitalisation. They should be more intensive,” she said. “We are doing more in the healthcare system. So if you don’t feel appreciated, we will not do more. We are already doing much more. We need to be appreciated for our effort.
She further stated, “The government should be on our side to compensate for our effort for the things that we do. They should improve our salary, they should recruit more nurses and then they should include nurses in the decision-making system in healthcare.”
Inclusion in decision policy for Nurses
She further emphasised the need for nurses to be part of policy decisions, “We should be included in decision-making. For instance, if the brain stops, the heart is very important. If the heart stops pumping blood to the body, other systems will not function. That is how nurses are to the healthcare system.”
Speaking to this newspaper, the National Chairman, Federal Health institutions Nurses and Midwives of Nigeria, Nurse Morakinyo Rilwan said the impact of the strike on masses is enormous and unimaginable.
“What Nigeria masses are going through healthwise, the pressure of the economic situation on them is enough and that was what resulted in a lot of diseases and sickness in Nigeria.”
Although we are not happy going on strike as well, it is unfortunate that we who are taking care of these people are not well and we are not psychologically stable.
Nr. Rilwan explained that currently their members cannot take care of their families, “our children are going to school and everything has gone up. The economic situation of the country is unbearable, so we are tired so that is why we have to do what we are not known doing before and it going to be a devastating issue on Nigerian masses but then we don’t have any option”, he lamented
He pleaded with the masses to bear with them and noted that it is not about them alone, but about them too because everyone wants the government to improve the Nigerian health system.
The National Chairman of Federal Health institutions Nurses and Midwives in Nigeria said all the members are clamouring for is to have enough equipment to work with so as to take care of people.
“We are not asking for too much, we are just asking for them to make sure that the Nigerian healthcare system is stable and the manpower system should be taken care of and the material resources should be provided.”
He concluded that the strike will not be suspended on promises alone, we have to seek an obvious commitment and issues that have to do with money not yet paid and some allowances that we are asking for, we have to see that it has to come to reality before we can suspend this strike.
While speaking on the impact of the strike, Dr. Joseph Elimimian, a doctor who works at a private sector outside Nigeria revealed that Strike has a negative impact on Nigerian Nurses and Midwives, thereby reflecting on their time of successful completion of their course and programs.
“If a student has been projected to complete their course in record time and this gets changed due to strike action it affects timelines of achievements, especially for certification exams that require one to meet a certain timeline for registration and enrolment”.
Also, this can lead to brain dormancy which comes with the long session of strikes, these have negatively impacted innovation and critical thinking for students not bringing out the very best when the mind is actively involved in learning during the academic sessions.
He further explained that it required that at least 2 – 5% of the appropriation bill be put into critical health infrastructure which includes skills and learning for health workers with modern infrastructures which reflect realities.
“We need not adopt a system that does not work for its people when we have tangible solutions within our ecosystem. We can build, manage and maintain these systems while catering for the Children, pregnant women, the elderly and the disabled in our system,” he stated
“However, we need to improve the mortality and life expectancy of individuals committed to our care and focusing on humongous projects that have little or no effect on our growth other than human capital which has a long-term impact in fostering innovation and giving us a competitive advantage.”
Furthermore, he said, “We need labour and brilliant minds to find solutions to our challenges. Value has to be placed on lives and the systems have to be accountable to us.”
