Nigerian at Risk of Fake Nurses

[Kunle Emmanuel]

NIGERIANS PUT AT RISK AS UNQUALIFIED INDIVIDUALS MAKE UP PHONEY NURSING JOB TITLES

In a recent tour of some areas in Lagos State, it was discovered that health facilities' owners, irrespective of their names and status; have hundreds of care assistants who were being described as 'Professional Nurses' 'Advanced registered Nurses', or 'Registered specialist Nurses' on private hospital wards despite lacking the proper training in approved Nursing Schools or colleges.

The local governments that were visited include: Alimosho, Ajeromi-Ifelodun, Badagry, Ikorodu, Kosofe, Ojo, Somolu and Mushin. The names of the quacks range from "Nurse Titi", Nurse "Hauwa", "Nurse Christie" to "Sister Paulina" and "Matron Bola", etc to deceive the ignorant and unsuspecting populace.

A lot of Private Hospitals owners' are creating their own Nursing job titles without the necessary qualifications. The worst scenarios is that these quacks not only put Nigerians lives at risk, they also bastardize the Nursing profession and worst still, our people encourage them, even when they know they are quacks.

This absurd practice has been going on unabated for years and it is misleading patients and their relatives and portray Nurses in bad light among the populace. Something needs to be done urgently before the trend becomes an incurable cancer.

Nursing practice in Nigeria needs urgent regulation to help protect the public, because if this trend is allowed to continue unhindered, then there is a real risk posed to patient safety.

Why are the bloggers or journalists not writing about these dangerous practices?

Why the silence from all quarters?

When these quacks complicate clients' care, haven been admitted for weeks in such facilities, they will then come to government owned facilities for instant miracles and expect qualified Nurses to start jumping up and down over self created problems that defy any solution.

It is at this referral period when qualified Nurses in government facilities, who are compelled or forced to accept all bad cases; try to assist that they get attacked, while trying to help rectify the self imposed complications.

Qualified Nurses watch helplessly all the time while relatives of mutilated clients heap series of curses on them and get blamed when their relatives die; for offences committed elsewhere. That's when they remember that they have relatives in power who can help them oppress and batter the already overworked, overwhelmed and harassed Nurses ; who have to endure the daily verbal, psychological and physical abuse from clients and their relatives.

This is the reason why Qualified Nurses run to better climate, where they are appreciated and treated with dignity and respect, unlike what obtain here.

Patient's relatives, in their hearts of hearts, often times knew the problem is from the activities of the quacks; from where they were first admitted, but they will continue to cover them up. It is also curious why they never go and fight the quacks who did the damage in the first place to prevent a reoccurrence; but choose to make a scapegoat of innocent qualified Nurses; what kind of injustice is that?

I don't know why private hospital owners apply professional job titles to "low paid carers" who are not qualified Nurses to deceive the public and still charge appropriate fees as if Clients were treated by qualified Nurses. Our people too address these idiots with Advanced Nursing titles too and you say Nigeria is not a shit - hole country?

In some instances, there is evidence that these post-holders are being expected to treat members of the public and are missing diagnoses altogether, which could lead to patients becoming seriously ill or worse. Instead of our law enforcement officers to stem this tide, they will at best be checking "particulars on the roads" thus creating bottle necks and holds ups on our roads.

At least, three out of every five Nurses are quacks paraded as Nurses and clothed in Nursing uniforms. If individuals are calling themselves Nurses and they are not registered with the Nursing and Midwifery council of Nigeria, then from a patient's perspective that is quite worrying and dangerous!

Let us all rise against this heinous practices of killing our people through sharp practices. They even take deliveries and procure abortions at homes and when the women die of bleeding, the relatives bury their dead and no one challenges the quack who cause the death in the first place. What type of people are we?

Of each twelve women who bring their children for BCG immunization in government facilities, eight are attended to by unskilled attendant in labour. The rate of neonatal and maternal postnatal deaths are common in such women and when death comes the slogan is "God gives and God takes", while the criminals get away with their atrocities!

When are we going to stop these needless deaths?

Let the Public be aware that real Nurses don't do "freedom" or "graduation" in private health facilities, chemist shops, along the roads or in private residencies.

Qualified Nurses have their convocation in their different and respective schools and colleges of Nursing and hold LICENCES to practice. When next someone who profess to be a "Nurse" wants to treat you, ask for such individual's practicing licence. That's the only way you can verify their claim.

This is a clarion call to all Nigerians is that if he or she is not a REGISTERED NURSE OR MIDWIFE, he or she is a fake!

Not all that wear whites are Nurses!

Not all females in hospitals are Nurses!!

Don't allow any quack being paraded as a Nurse mortgage your health and life, shine your eyes!

Signed
Lateef-Yusuf Mary
FOLGONM LAGOS Chairman.

#fakes/quacksarenotnurses!

[StevenAlessi]

It is necessary to take a qualified nurse in every hospital. Some people are creating some fake certificates to do frauds. So, it is better to check their experience.
Gemstones for luck