Nurses must increase clinical competency – Minister

Minister of State for Health, Senator Adeleke Olorunimbe Mamora, has said there is need for nurses to increase their clinical competency.

 Represented by Director of Diaspora Department, Federal Ministry of Health, Dr Omobolanle Olowu, he said the rapidly changing health care system requires nurses to possess increasing knowledge, clinical competency, greater independence, and autonomy in clinical judgment. 

Senator Mamora stated this during the flag off ceremony of the Nigeria 2020, with the theme: “The year of the Nurses and Midwives,” Wednesday, in Gwagwalada, Abuja. 

He said Nigeria witnessed unprecedented upsurge in health challenges; increased rate of maternal and neonatal mortality, epidemic of various communicable diseases, insurgence, and other circumstances in which dedication, forthrightness and professionalism is needed from nurses and midwives. 

Mamora stated that to live up to this expectation, members of the noble profession need to carry out a detailed self-assessment and chart a more progressive path forward for the profession.

“The effort of Florence Nightingale and other nurses and midwives of repute, many of whom paid the supreme price in their effort to bring succor to the society can never be wished away.

“Such remarkable memories will always remain with us as reference points. Perhaps, a veritable platform to immortalise these heroes is through such declaration as being made by WHO that gave rise to this event where ideas would be harnessed and synthesised and new policies formulated to improve on the ideals for which they labored. This ceremony marks the official take-off of the Nigerian phase of this commendable initiative by the World Health Organisation (WHO) on repositioning of the noble profession. 

“In addition, sophisticated technologies and society’s orientation to healthcare are rapidly causing educational needs of nurses to grow,” he said.

He assured them that government is making great efforts to provide the enabling environment for the members of the profession. The government is not oblivious of the indispensable role you play in healthcare delivery and will thus stop at nothing to help them function even better and regularly give members of the profession opportunities to make contributions and participate in policy developments for the health sector. 

Mamora urged members of the profession to take advantage of this capacity building programme to improve their skills and this underscores the imperativeness for training and retraining.

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