Nurses and Midwives (NANNM) NDC2021 and the Future of Nursing

In a matter of hours, new leadership will emerge for Nigerian Nursing professional cum trade union, NANNM. This current NDC will be occuring in a peculier time and situation due to the current pandemic and the infection prevention protocol put in place by the Presidential Task Force on Covid19. It is also occuring at a time where there is heightened awareness among nurses with increased agitation for improvement. This can not be divorced from the increase in social media activities.
 

The NDC will elect a new national president and deputy national president together with 4National assistant national presidents. Equally, there will be national treasurer, financial secretary and two national auditors. The General Secretary is not an elective position, an employee of the Association and also the chief scribe. The GS is usually not responsible to any other employer but the association, unlike the elective officials. The wisdom is so that they can not be intimidated or persecuted by employers. They are also nurses first. There are also other employed Deputy General Secretary (AGS) posted to states to administer the state .

The new coming National Administrative Council (NAC) as they will be known will be responsible for implementing and executing the policy thrust of the National Executive Council (NEC) made up of all state chairmen and secretaries together with NAC, National chairmen of specialist and pressure groups. It is therefore pertinent that they are men and women of uncommon loyalty and commitment to the growth of nursing.
READ THIS: YONM: THE DILEMMA OF NANNM AND FUTURE OF NURSING
On this note, it is pertinent that they consider some important issues as priority to the growth and cohesion of nursing in Nigeria. I consider the following to be necessary for urgent action.
1 The need to repel and enact a new Nursing and Midwifery Council of Nigeria to meet the reality of the times and strengthen the powers and role of the council and to expand the scope of nursing practice in Nigeria.
2 To quickly look into the welfare of nurses especially the issue of shift duty allowance especially at Federal level where the current shift duty allowance is just about 10% instead of the 30%. Improve also on welfare.
3 Ensure that the Harmonize scheme of service is fully gazetted and published to make room for more nurses to reach the peak of their profession once they have the prerequisites qualification. And ensure that the entry point of graduate nurses is enhance to meet the standard of other graduate health professionals.
4 Increase contact to the grassroot at unit level and ensuring the periodic newsletter are published and reaches unit.
5 Improve flow of information and the quick response to correspondence.
6 Establishment of liasson officers to the National Assembly to lobby for policy implementation and provide guidance to legislative arm in bills that are related to nursing.
7 Work closely with specialist groups like APNON, NAPON, NONA etc and pressure groups like FHI Sector and FOLGONM to ensure that specific needs of the sub specialties and sectors are meet.
8 To increase public presence to foster public awareness of the role of nurses in the media.
9 Ensure quick response to crisis prone situations and ensuring a mechanism is put in place to promptly response. Example is the COD crisis that is rocking the union
10. To chat a clear cut role and approach to issues regards to nurses and to ensure that NANNM is not subsumed by JOHESU and to renegotiate the terms of agreement of this affiliation with a view to get maximum benefit or to withdraw if it does not favour the wishes and aspirations of Nigerian nurses.
This and many more will help to consolidate the place of the nurse in the health care sector and will also go a long way in improving the image of nursing in Nigeria. The Nigerian nurse is yearning for leadership that is visible and viable, I pray the incoming NAC will give us that and more.
Long live NANNM
Long live Nigeria
Solomon Danmori RMHN
Unit Chairman ABUTH ZARIA