Nursing Council Calls For Establishment Of Nursing Colleges In Rural Communities
The Nursing and Midwifery Council of Nigeria had called for establishment of College Medicines in rural communities for adequate manpower to tackle health challenges in the country.
The council argued that that when the colleges are established in rural areas and professionals trained in those colleges, they will show interest and man primary, secondary and tertiary health centres across the country.
Registrar and Chief Executive Officer of the Council, Dr. Farouk Umar Abubakar stated this at the Blessed Martins International Institute of Science and Technology, Ohatekwe Amagu in Ikwo local area of Ebonyi State during the approval of College of Medicine Science in the Institute.
“When you train a young lady who is brought up in the urban area, you don’t expect her to go back to the rural areas but when you bring the training to the communities, they will show interest and man our primary health centers, secondary level and tertiary level so that when we take enough at the level of our communities, then we inject them to the urban areas as well as the national level and the globe and this is the idea of encouraging and establishing these colleges at the community levels”, he stated.
He noted that the council was in the school to inspect the level of preparedness for the take off of the college of Medicine Science.
“We are here to see things physically and see the level of preparedness for the taking off of Blessed Martins College of Medical Science that is well established and from the assessment, we have gone round.
“We have seen adequate provisions of resources. We start from the physical facilities; there are adequate number of classrooms, number of demonstration room, number of laboratories as being provided in numerous departments.
“The environment is well placed for the taking off of the training of nurses and mid-wives. In terms of the manpower, from the available checklist to us, there are reasonable number of qualified educated nurses and mid-wives that will provide the necessary teaching learning experience in addition to other supporting staffs in the area of sciences both Medical sciences, Physiology, Anatomy, Biochemistry and other related sciences are all available and this is what is expected.
“Looking at the encouragement, there are adequate number of landscaping, good road networking. We observed various different power outreach; solar power is available, NEPA and generator. So, there are three different components of power in other to sustain learning activities”, he disclosed.
The Proprietor of the Institute, Hon. Chinedu Ogah said he established the college of Medicine Science to reduce unemployment in the society and create access to healthcare services.
He identified key management of health as Nurses and Mid-wives, adding that it is the Nurses and Mid-wives that take care of patients in the hospital.
Ogah who represents Ikwo/Ezza South Federal Constituency in the House of Representatives, opined that the Institute has brought development to the area apart from employment opportunities it has provided for the people.
“Many people travel abroad to get health services and when you look at those health facilities they run to in those countries, you will discover that it is Nigerians that are manning those hospitals and performing miracles there. So, why can’t we establish these hospitals here in Nigeria to provide health services for the people”, he stated.
