Health
Rivers Nurses Protest Neglect, Marginalisation
The National Association of Nigeria Nurses and Midwives, Rivers State chapter has protested against the continued marginalization and neglect of Nurses, Midwives and Public Health Nurses working in all the health facilities in the 23 Local Government Areas of Rivers State.
The Association while staging the protest on Monday morning walked through some major roads of the State Capital to the State House of Assembly and Government House complained that they were neglected in the State Primary Health Care Management Board, explained that the protest is to follow up several protest letters written to the Governor, the State House of Assembly, the Ministry of Health and the Secretary to the Primary Health Care Management Board over the continued neglect and marginalisation as they requested for the liberation of Nurses and Midwives from the bondage.
Speaking to newsmen, the Chairperson of the National Association of Nigeria Nurses and Midwives (NANN), Rivers State chapter, Mrs. Agatha Choko, noted that the Public Health Nurses are well trained to act in the absence of the doctors and prescribe drugs like the doctors in minor ailments while midwives monitor, deliver pregnant mothers and stabilise their health without waiting for the doctors.
Mrs. Choko argued that if doctors are relevant and not neglected by the State Government, the Nurses, Midwives and the Public Health Nurses in the Health facilities should be accorded the same attention from the State Government since Nurses and doctors play key roles in the promotion of health care delivery in the State.
She called for the inclusion of Nursing Directorate in Primary Health Care Management Board, noting that the absence of the Directorate had led to the relegation of the Nurses to the mud by the doctors in the health facilities.
The Chairperson said the Nurses in the state want the retired members to be retained on contract basis because according to her, Nurses work for 32 years on service instead of 35 years and 53 years instead of 60 years retiring age for civil servants.
She also noted that it would enable the younger nurses to learn from the older ones.
“There should be inclusion of Nurses, Midwives and Public Health Nurses in the Primary Health Care Authority in the 23 local Government and the Nurses should not be posted by the Doctors or any other administrative officer in the State Primary Care Management Board, other than Nurses,” she said.
The Nurses condemned the placing of Public Health Nurses at par with programme officers in the operational guideline of the Rivers State Primary Health Care Management Board and asked for their inclusion in all Health committees formed in the Primary Health Care Management Board and the Ministry like the Laser Fever Committee, among others.
Mrs. however requested that graduate Nurses with Masters Degree in Public Health should be considered for the post of Co-ordinators of
Primary Health Care according to the circular of Primary Health Care and that the Acting Director of Nursing Service (D.N.S.) in Primary
Health Care Management Board should function independently instead of working under a unit.
Some of the placards carried by the protesting Nurses read: “Allow Nurses to function Independently,” “Nurses work for free,” “Stop Marginalization of Nurses in Rivers State,” “ERROR!! Nursing Directorate is Omitted,” “Give Nurses her independence,” “Nursing is
not under any profession” and “Enough is Enough”.
Two United States scientists who unraveled the human micro RNA have won the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine 2024.
Victor Ambros and Gary Ruvkun won the coveted prize for their work on microRNA as their discoveries help explain how complex life emerged on earth and how the human body is made up of a wide variety of different tissues.
MicroRNAs influence how genes – the instructions for life – are controlled inside organisms, including humans.
Every cell in the human body contains the same raw genetic information, locked in our DNA.
However, despite starting with the identical genetic information, the cells of the human body are wildly different in form and function.
The electrical impulses of nerve cells are distinct from the rhythmic beating of heart cells. The metabolic powerhouse that is a liver cell is distinct to a kidney cell, which filters urea out of the blood.
The light-sensing abilities of cells in the retina are different in skillset to white blood cells that produce antibodies to fight infection.
So much variety can arise from the same starting material because of gene expression.
The US scientists were the first to discover microRNAs and how they exerted control on how genes are expressed differently in different tissues.
The medicine and physiology prize winners are selected by the Nobel Assembly of Sweden’s Karolinska Institute.
They said: “Their groundbreaking discovery revealed a completely new principle of gene regulation that turned out to be essential for multicellular organisms, including humans.
“It is now known that the human genome codes for over 1,000 microRNAs.”
The World Health Organisation (WHO) has begun acting to curb effects of antibiotic pollution.
The new guidance on wastewater and solid waste management for antibiotic manufacturing sheds light on this important but neglected challenge ahead of the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) High-Level Meeting on antimicrobial resistance (AMR) taking place on 26 September 2024.
The emergence and spread of AMR caused by antibiotic pollution could undermine the effectiveness of antibiotics globally, including the medicines produced at the manufacturing sites responsible for the pollution.
Despite high antibiotic pollution levels being widely documented, the issue is largely unregulated and quality assurance criteria typically do not address environmental emissions. In addition, once distributed, there is a lack of information provided to consumers on how to dispose of antibiotics when they are not used, for example, when they expire or when a course is finished but there is still antibiotic left over.
“Pharmaceutical waste from antibiotic manufacturing can facilitate the emergence of new drug-resistant bacteria, which can spread globally and threaten our health. Controlling pollution from antibiotic production contributes to keeping these life-saving medicines effective for everyone,” said Dr Yukiko Nakatani, WHO Assistant Director-General for AMR ad interim.
Globally, there is a lack of accessible information on the environmental damage caused by manufacturing of medicines.
“The guidance provides an independent and impartial scientific basis for regulators, procurers, inspectors, and industry themselves to include robust antibiotic pollution control in their standards,” said Dr Maria Neira, Director, Department of Environment, Climate Change and Health, WHO. “Critically, the strong focus on transparency will equip buyers, investors and the general public to make decisions that account for manufacturers’ efforts to control antibiotic pollution.”
In a concerted effort to curb brain drain, the Kebbi State Government has harmonised medical doctors’ salaries to be at par with their colleagues in the federal government’s tertiary health facilities.
Kebbi State Commissioner for Health, Musa Inusa-Isma’il, disclosed this at the handing over of ambulances to the state-owned health facilities at the Ministry of Health in Birnin Kebbi yesterday.
Inusa Isma’il, according to a statement by Ahmed Idris, the Chief Press Secretary to the governor, said the essence of the harmonisation was to retain the existing medical doctors and attract more to the services of the state.
According to him, the doctors across the state had already started enjoying the new salaries from August 2024.
He said the release of the vehicles was in fulfilment of Governor Nasir Idris’ promise to uplift health care services in the state.
“His Excellency said I should inform you, the beneficiaries of this gesture, that the vehicle should be strictly used for the intended purpose. It should not be used for anything else.
“If there is no referral case, each of the vehicles must be parked at the hospital by 6 pm. The governor said you should warn your drivers against reckless driving as well as violating the instructions.
“We should also do everything possible to reciprocate the gesture by working according to the terms and conditions attached,” he advised.
The benefiting health facilities included Sir Yahaya Memorial Hospital, Birnin Kebbi; State Teaching Hospital, Kalgo; General Hospital, Argungu; General Hospital, Yauri; General Hospital, Zuru; and General Hospital, Bunza.
In his speech, the permanent secretary of the ministry, Dr Shehu Koko, recalled that the ambulances were handed over to the ministry last Friday by the governor for the onward handover to the benefiting hospitals.
He observed that the ambulances would go a long way in improving the referral system in the state, adding that delays in reaching the secondary and tertiary facilities would be eliminated.
The permanent secretary attributed the high rate of maternal mortality in the country to delays in getting to the health facilities for proper medical care.
“We believe with the provision of these ambulances, part of the gaps we have in our referral system will be addressed, whereby patients who require secondary healthcare could be easily transported to secondary and tertiary health centres, where they can get such help,” he said.
In a goodwill message, Commissioner for Information and Culture Alhaji Yakubu Ahmed expressed gratitude to the governor for the support he has given to the ministry to excel.
While advising the beneficiaries to use the vehicles judiciously, the commissioner advised that services and maintenance of the vehicles must be prompt to derive the maximum benefits from the vehicles.
The commissioner also highlighted some achievements recorded by the government in the last year, including beautification of the state capital, completion of a multimillion-naira ultramodern state secretariat, road construction, construction and renovation of classrooms and upgrading of some health facilities, among others.