Kwara health workers demand improved welfare package

Alhaji Aminu Shehu, the Kwara Chairman of the National Association of Nigeria Nurses and Midwives (NANNM), has urged the state government to enhance the benefits provided to its citizens.

Aminu made the appeal on Saturday in Ilorin, off-stage at a forum about the severe lack of medical professionals in the region.

Additionally, he urged the state government to hire more healthcare professionals to keep up with the rising patient load in public healthcare facilities.

He claims that there are only 700 nurses in the state and that 3,000 more must be hired in addition to better welfare provisions in order for them to be sufficient and effective in carrying out their duties.

“Last year we mounted pressure on the state government to increase our salary and the governor increased it from 60 per cent to 70 per cent, but didn’t meet our expectations because we demanded for 100 per cent.

“The governor employed more nurses last year, but as he employed they spent sometime and leave the service for better offer.

“We now concluded that the solution to the problem is increment of salary from 70 per cent to 100 per cent, improve welfare package and payment of hazard allowance.

“We have written to the governor who asked us to bring the number of nurses in the state and number required to be employed,” he said.

Aminu decried the pathetic situation whereby one nurse attend to about 30 patients in Kwara, when it should be one nurse to four patients, saying the development is worrisome.

He firther demanded for presence of security operatives at various hospitals in order to checkmate excesses of some patients and their relatives who sometines become violent and unruly whenever they lose their loved ones.

The labour leader however appreciated Gov. AbdulRahman AbdulRazaq for trying to address the plight of health workers in the state.

Aminu called on residents to re-elect AbdulRazaq to enable him consolidate on the gains achieved so far and for the people to enjoy more dividends of democracy. (NAN)