Federal Ministry of Health,
New Federal Secretariat Complex,
Phase III, Ahmadu Bello Way,
Central Business District,
P.M.B 083,
Garki, Abuja, Nigeria.
Sir/Madam,
CONTINUED DISCRIMINATION AGAINST NURSES BY FMC OWERRI: A STITCH IN TIME SAVES NINE
We sincerely appreciate your selfless effort towards ensuring that equity, fairness and inclusiveness reign supreme in our health system.
2. However, we have observed that some elements are deliberately bent on soiling the pious principles of equity, fairness and justice that the ministry has upheld to promote multidisciplinary industrial harmony in our health system.
3. A case in point is that of the management of Federal Medical Centre (FMC) Owerri that has, on two consecutive instances, refused to include the position of nurse intern in their advert placement that listed internship positions of other healthcare disciplines despite all the directives from the Federal Ministry of Health mandating them to do so. The latest of these discriminations against nurses was done vide their advert placement for internship published by Daily Sun Newspaper of Monday 15th October, 2018 (page 20) that listed internship position for other healthcare disciplines except nursing (please kindly refer Annexure A).
4. Recall that we approached your office for your kind intervention when this same management of FMC Owerri in October, 2017 excluded only the position of nurse intern from their advert placement for internship that listed interns of other healthcare disciplines just as they have done in the current dispensation.
5. Recall also that the ministry graciously intervened and directed that they implement the nurses’ internship and effect the proper placement of already employed graduate nurses vide several letters and circulars [e.g. Ref No. C2920/S.3/C.2/VOL1/116 dated 12th February, 2018 (specifically addressed to the MD FMC Owerri); Ref No. C.6093/T/16 dated February 20, 2018; Ref No.C6093/T/13 dated 19th June, 2017; Ref No. DHS/800/I/T/8 dated 3rd October, 2017] (please kindly refer to the attached documents).
6. It is therefore very clear that despite the fatherly disposition of the ministry to give a sense of belonging to all categories of healthcare workers, those at the helm of affairs in FMC Owerri, out of primordial sentiment against nurses are bent on treating nurses as outcasts in our health system.
7. Since the circular from the office of the Head of Civil Service of the Federation (HCSF), REF No. HCSF/EIR/CND/S.100/ST/97 dated 8th September, 2016 had made a one-year internship training a compulsory part of nursing education for the Bachelor of Nursing Science (B.N.Sc) degree as is obtainable with the university education of other healthcare disciplines, this type of discriminatory disposition by FMC Owerri against nurses portends grave consequences for the future of nursing education in Nigeria as extant rules have made the baccalaureate education of nurses incomplete and void without the internship training.
8. Because nurses provide the first line of client care and have the highest visibility and number of hours spent with patients in the hospital, common sense should have had the management of FMC Owerri understand that nurses need the opportunity of blending theory with clinical practice offered by the internship training more than any other member of the healthcare team for qualitative care of the lives of people entrusted unto them.
9. We therefore passionately call on you to prevail on the management of FMC Owerri to desist from their penchant for discriminating against nurses by implementing without further delay the graduate nurses’ internship and effecting their proper placement as prescribed by extant circulars.
PRAYERS
We passionately call on your good office to prevail on the management of FMC Owerri to
1. advertise the post of nurse interns as was done for the interns of other healthcare disciplines (as published by Daily Sun Newspaper on Monday 15th October, 2018).
2. upgrade existing nursing officers who were on CONHESS 07 before the release of the circular to the new base of CONHESS 08 effective from 8th September, 2016 (being the date of release of the circular REF No. HCSF/EIR/CND/S.100/ST/97 by the office of the head of civil service of the federation) as prescribed by the civil service circular, Ref No. B63279/S.7/II/T/273 dated 24th April, 2002 (please refer Annexure B).
3. commence the employment of fresh graduate nurses on CONHESS 08 and upgrade the existing nursing officers who were wrongly employed on CONHESS 07 by FMC Owerri after 8th September, 2016 to CONHESS 08 effective from the date of their employment.
Attached herewith is your copy of a current letter we wrote the management of FMC Owerri on the subject matter.
Kindly accept the assurances of our esteemed regards.
Signed:
CHIEF (HON.) S.E.O. EGWUENU NURSE G.I. NSHI
National President National Secretary
CC
Director, Nursing Services, FMOH, Abuja
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