The Honourable Minister of Health,
Federal Ministry of Health (FMOH),
New Federal Secretariat Complex,
Phase III, Ahmadu Bello Way,
Central Business District,
P.M.B 083, Garki, Abuja, Nigeria.
Attention:
The Director Human Resources &,
The
Director Hospital services, FMOH
Sir/Madam,
EXCLUSION OF REGISTERED NURSES AND MIDWIVES WITH
BNSC IN THE RECENT PUBLIC EMPLOYMENT ADVERT MADE BY THE UNIVERSITY OF ILORIN
TEACHING HOSPITAL IS A WANTON MARGINALIZATION,
DEBASEMENT AND BALKANIZATION OF THE NURSING PROFESSION: A REQUEST FOR URGENT
INTERVENTION OF THE MINISTRY
The University graduate of Nursing Science Association
(UGONSA), the professional association of nurses with a minimum qualification
of Bachelor degree in nursing once more brings you her Nightingale’s greetings
and wish to thank you for your astute efforts so far in trying to address the
perennial wrongs and marginalization of the nursing profession in our health
system especially the issue of under placement of the graduates of Bachelor of
Nursing Science (BNSc).
2. However,
we observed that the anomalous behaviour of the management of the University of
Ilorin Teaching Hospital (UITH) is antithetical to the commendable efforts the
FMOH under your watch is making to foster a sense of equity, fairness and
inclusiveness among all the healthcare professionals to strengthen a harmonious
work relationship in the healthcare delivery system of our dear the country.
3. In its
recent advert for recruitment of healthcare professionals, the UITH brazenly
excluded the Registered Nurses (RN) and Registered Midwives (RM) with Bachelor
of Nursing Science (BNSc) degree. The divisive advert published June 3rd, 2020 and
circulated widely via the electronic media, which ostensibly aimed at
balkanizing the nursing profession and pinching nurses against each other have
been confirmed by our association as truly emanating from
the UITH evidenced by domicile of the advert on the official website of the
institution with this URL: https://www.uithilorin.org.ng/staffnurseadvert.
4. Most worrisome is that UITH made it appear as
if the selective target of RN/RM with BNSc degree for exclusion in their advert
is a new policy of the FMOH as our preliminary engagement with some management
staff of the hospital saw them irrationally make a fig leaf to put the FMOH in
the loop.
5. However, when
our previous demand on the institution for proper placement of the RN/RM with
BNSc degree [vide our letter Ref. No: UGONSA/018/UITH/CMD/01dated 30th
June 2018 hereby attached] which was reluctantly done without implementing the financial
aspect of the upgrade as was done by other hospitals under the same FMOH is
indexed with the current action of the UITH it becomes understandable the UITH
management is on a lone inglorious voyage to marginalize and debase the nursing
profession.
6. That this
selective exclusion was directed only to the University Graduates of Nursing
and not to the University Graduates of all the core Healthcare Professions
portends that the Chief Medical Director (CMD) of the UITH is divisive and
unfit to manage the affairs of a conglomerate of diverse people and interests
working together for a common course as is the case of the healthcare delivery
system.
7. This
provocative action of the CMD and the management of the UITH if not nipped in
the bud has the propensity to open up a new wave of avoidable agitation in our
health system which shall adversely affect and undermine the candid efforts the
FMOH is making to ensure a sustainable qualitative care delivery to the
Nigerian masses.
8. We viewed
this disdainful exclusion of RN/RM with BNSc degree in the employment advert by
UITH as not only a well-calculated attempt to unjustly steer nurses with higher
qualification in nursing away from the clinical area but also as scornful ridicule of the educational attainment
of nurses and midwives. This is especially as what qualifies and
justifies the inclusion of the University Graduates of other core healthcare
professions in the advert also justify why their counterparts in nursing should
be included.
9. The Bachelor degree in nursing which has become a
nightmare to the CMD UITH and his management staff took most nurses and
midwives excruciating pain and hard work to get. Some spent 3 years in the
school of nursing and 18 months in the school of midwifery before enrolling to
spend another 5 years for the BNSc programme only to be bizarrely told that
they are not qualified for employment in a Federal government-owned teaching
hospital just because they took pain to develop themselves professionally to be
able to add qualitative value to nursing services.
PRAYER
We humbly and passionately call on your esteemed office to
urgently
1. direct the
Chief Medical Director (CMD) of the University of Ilorin Teaching Hospital
(UITH) and his management team to review their recent employment advert and
make provision for the graduate nurses (.i.e RN/RM with BNSc degree) in the
advert.
2. pay the
graduate nurses whose placement were adjusted in line with the extant circulars
on placement of nurses the accruing financial benefits related to the
adjustment of their grades.
3. caution
the CMD and the management of the UITH to desist from their open resentment of
the nursing profession and its higher education qualifications and to start
carrying all the healthcare professional along as crucial and indispensable
part of the healthcare team.
Submitted with deepest sense of respect.
Signed:
NUR. OJO OPEYEMI
NUR. OLOYE ABIOLA
President, Western Zone Secretary, Western
Zone
CC:
Director, Nursing Services FMOH
Deputy
Director Nursing Services FMOH
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