By Omon Smart
Experts have decried shortage of Nurses and Midwives globally, saying it poses serious hindrance to attainment of universal health coverage by the year 2030.
This much was revealed by critical stakeholders at a One Day Policy Workshop for Nurses and Midwives organized by Young Midwifery Leaders in Conjunction with Lagos Island Maternity Hospital (LIMH), Lagos on Wednesday.
With the theme, ‘Strengthening Universal Health Coverage’, the event also featured Policy workshop update on HIV/AIDS Intervention for Young People.
Director of Clinical Services & Training who also doubles as the Deputy Medical Director, Lagos Island Maternity Hospital, Dr. Ogungbemile Babalola, who represented the Medical Director, Dr Olufemi Omololu speaking on the challenges faced by nurses harped on shortage of staff “One challenge which I can think of is shortage in terms of staff strength, nurses are being overworked, and it is a general problem.”
Ogungbemile was quick to add that the state government was already doing something to ameliorate the situation “The state government is already putting some things in place to ameliorate the problem. It is actually occasioned by health personnel leaving the country for greener pastures and it cuts across virtually every profession now, that is on the administrative side, maybe the other aspects can be thrown more light on by the a nurse who can tell you other problems they are facing.”
On her part, Cole Adebukola Oluwabisayo, the Apex Nurse of Lagos Island Maternity Hospital and Chief Hostess of the event said “2020 as Year of Nurses and Midwives as declared by World Health Organisation (WHO) is to let the world hear our voice, about what are the challenges that we are facing, so that a policy on this can be submitted so that the whole world can see what we are facing, and it is also to celebrate ourselves for the work which we are doing.”
Oluwabisayo, who maintained that nurses have done excellently well also spoke on the challenges being faced by African nurses. “Challenges faced by nurses include shortage of workforce in Africa. If you want to go by WHO standard, you will see that we are not nearing the statistics, the ratio, at all. In Africa, you see a nurse attending to 15-20 patients, even in outpatient department; she will be the only one, which is not supposed. Then the workforce, the equipment to work with, modern equipment, like in the other developed world, if they can be supplied adequately then we train ourselves so that we will be able to use it optimally.”
On some nurses that do not show dedication to their duties she said that over 90% of nurses are alive to their duties especially giving the WHO ratio.
Olajumoke Adebayo, a Young Midwife Leader with International Confederation of Midwives and convener of the workshop disclosed that the international organization is the governing body for midwives around the world.
On the imperative of the workshop she stated “As a young midwife leader I am expected to do programmes like conferences, support our association in building their capacities and strengthening the profession. So as part of my project as a young midwife leader, I am doing a policy workshop, we are expected to move into decision making roles. If capacities are not built we won’t be able to fit into such places and that is why I am doing a policy workshop for the midwives to update their skills and also improve their capacity.”
On challenges being faced by Midwives she said “Apart from not been invited to decision making tables, our voices are not heard, a lot of difficulties like been underpaid, poor working conditions, and despite all these we are still able to give the best services that we can, a lot of people do not want to invest in education which is very important for us.”
Mrs Oluwatoyin Champion, chairman of the Local Organising Body, 2020 Nurse/Midwives year, speaking on the preparedness of the group for the year-long programme said “It is not really easy to gather people together and to do what you want; because the people believe in us, as you can see for yourself with the large turnout, you would know that we are grossly involved in this, every nurse is being celebrated and we are celebrating ourselves as well.”
