GIVING BACK TO SOCIETY…

The leadership of National Association of Nigeria Nurses and Midwives (NANNM) has expressed fears over the safety of its members in an eventual outbreak of Coronavirus in the country.

The association’s concern was coming just as the Minister of Health, Osagie Ehanire, assured Nigerians of the federal government’s readiness to protect the country against the import of Coronavirus including provision of funds needed in any event of an outbreak.

Speaking to journalists shortly after declaring open the 2020 Conference of Nigerian Nurses and Midwives in Abuja, Ehanire said federal government was doing everything possible to ensure the prevention of Coronavirus from being imported into the country.

“Nigeria is ready. Among the countries of the world when we had Ebola, Nigeria was one of the countries that handled it well. We have competent and astute manpower. Yes, our health system may be fragile, but when we come together as Nigerians we are able to overcome any challenge,” he said.

He also said government would ensure that resources are made available to tackle any epidemic outbreak, including the efforts to address the cases of Lassa fever in some parts of the country.

NANNM President, Comrade Abdulrauf Adeniji, who spoke to journalists in an interview during the opening ceremony of the conference, described one of the major challenges limiting the nursing profession in Nigeria as lack of infrastructure.

“As nurses and midwives, we are bracing up for any outbreak of Coronavirus, but our major challenge is lack of infrastructure. The situation we are right now is like sending a soldier to the warfront to confront the Boko Haram terrorists without ammunition, the implication is that you are just sending that person to the slaughter slab,” he said.

Adeniji explained that nurses are in the forefront of the effort to detect and prevent disease epidemic, adding that they form the bulk of the personnel deployed as Port Health officials positioned at the airports, seaports and various ports of entry to screen and eventually treat any identified cases of infection.

L-R: Manager, Non-operated Venture Assets, Shell Nigeria Exploration and Production Company (SNEPCo), Mrs. Yemi Asaolu; member, Lagos State House of Assembly, Mr. Olanrewaju Afinni; Managing Director of SNEPCo, Mr. Bayo Ojulari; Lagos State Commissioner for Health, Dr. Akin Abayomi; Acting Public Affairs Manager, National Petroleum Investment Management Services (NAPIMS), Mrs. Yetunde Azendah; SNEPCo’s General Manager, Bonga South West Aparo Project, Mr. Adam Bradley; and Deputy Manager, Community Development of NAPIMS, Mrs. Clementina Arubi, at the inauguration of medical equipment donated by NNPC and SNEPCo to the General Hospital, Odan, Lagos Island… recently.