The Kwara Chairman of the National Association of Nurses and Midwives of Nigeria (NANNM), Alhaji Aminu Shehu, has called on the state government to increase the welfare package of its members.
Aminu made the appeal on Saturday in Ilorin on the sidelines of a forum to address the shortage of medical practitioners in the country.
He also asked the state government to deploy more health workers who will measure the number of patients in public health facilities.
According to him, there are only 700 nurses in the country and in order to be efficient and efficient in their work, the government should employ more than 3,000 and also ensure a better welfare package.
“Last year we increased the pressure on the state government to increase the salary and the governor increased it from 60 percent to 70 percent, but we could not meet the expectations because they demanded 100 percent.
“The governor employed more nurses last year, but when he was employed, he waited for a while and left the service with a better offer.
“We have now concluded that the solution to the problem is a salary increase from 70 percent to 100 percent, increased welfare packages and hazard allowance payments.
“We have written to the governor asking us to bring the number of nurses in the state and the number we need to do,” he said.
Aminu decried the unfortunate situation where one nurse was treating about 30 patients in Kwara, when one nurse should have attended to four patients, saying the development was worrisome.
He further demanded that there be security officers in various hospitals to check the excesses of patients and relatives who sometimes become violent and unruly when they lose their loved ones.
But labor leaders respect Gov.
AbdulRahman AbdulRazaq to try to address the plight of health workers in the country.