The National Association of Nigeria Nurses and Midwives (NANNM), FCT Council on Monday decried the shortage of manpower in the FCT Hospitals.
The Chairman of the council, Jaman Medan, made this known after a road walk as part of the activities lined up to celebrate the 2024 FCT Nurses Week.
Medan said that most FCT nurses had migrated to other developed countries in search of greener pastures, adding that this had brought a huge load of work on the few available ones.
He said that the huge load of work on the nurses had also resulted in many of them collapsing while on duty, while urging the FCT Minister, Mr Nyesom Wike, to ensure employment to replace those who had gone.
He said that the load of work on FCT nurses was part of the reasons why some of them were leaving, coupled with poor remuneration.
The NANNM Chairman also appealed to the minister for plots of land to enable the nurses to build low-housing schemes (Nurses Village).
He said that this would go a long way to ease the burden on nurses.
Medan equally appealed to the Wike to improve security measures in the FCT, while disclosing that some of the association members were recently kidnapped in Asokoro and Abaji.
He also told the minister to ensure that the FCT transportation scheme was resuscitated, stressing that nurses could no longer afford to buy fuel as a result of economic hardship.
He commended the minister for his giant stride in improving infrastructure in the FCT.
The Permanent Secretary, Health and Environment Services Secretariat, Dr Adams Babagana, said that the minister was willing to solve the transportation challenges in the Abuja environs.
According to him, a lot of bus terminals has been commissioned, and the FCT administration is hoping to receive some busses to aid the FCT transportation system before December.
“The administration has paid counterpart fund, and more new projects will soon be coming up in the health sector,” he said.
Responding, the Minister who was represented by Dr Udo Atang, Head of Civil Service, FCT, said that all the yearnings of the nurses were noted.
According to him, steps have been taken to ensure that the challenges with FCT hospitals were addressed.
He said that some projects would soon start across the FCT hospitals, adding that a directive had been given to that effect.
“We have also noted that the hospitals lack functional ambulances, directive has also been given for procurement of 16 ambulances and some of the equipment in the hospitals.
” You have nothing to worry about in terms of welfare, we want our nurses to work very well, we have noted some of these inadequacies.
“This administration is poised to provide adequate medical equipment.
“We do not discriminate, we are prepared to provide quality healthcare in the FCT,” the Minister said.
NAN
