90% Of Our Demands Are Not Monetary – NANNM

The National Association of Nigerian Nurses and Midwives (NANNM) has said that 90 per cent of its demands to the Federal Government carry no financial implications.

The group recently revealed that most of the demands are meant to address administrative problems like the implementation of policy papers and enforcement of court judgments.

Speaking to the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Calabar, Chairman of the Cross River State chapter of NANNM, Mrs Josephine Bassey, Chairman of the Cross River State chapter of NANNM, said that there is more to the protest than money.

According to her, the seven-day warning strike embarked upon by the association, which began on Wednesday, July 30, is the nurses’ way of highlighting a long-standing approvals by the National Council on Establishments.

She stated that Nigerian nurses are also demanding the centralisation of internship for nursing graduates.

“Our demands include the gazetting of the nursing scheme of service approved since 2016 and the creation of a Department of Nursing in the Federal Ministry of Health.

Another key demand is the centralisation of internship for nursing graduates,” she said.

Listing the review of provisional allowances for nurses and midwives as another important gap that should be filled, Josephine Bassey emphasised the need for nurses to be appointed to the boards of federal and state health institutions.

She concluded by clamouring for the employment of more nurses due to severe staffing shortages.

“We started as early as 7:30 a.m. to monitor all health facilities across the state to ensure full compliance.

Nurses make up about 60 to 65 per cent of the healthcare workforce.

If the government truly appreciates the critical role we play in healthcare delivery, it should address our demands promptly.

We feel the pain of the patients, but we also urge them to cry out on our behalf to well-meaning Nigerians and the government, so our concerns can be addressed,” she added.