REGISTRAR, Nursing and Midwifery Council of Nigeria (NMCN), Dr Farouk Umar, Abubakar says that nurses and midwives form the highest proportion of Nigeria’s healthcare professionals, thus the council’s resolve to fulfill its statutory mandate of ensuring quality nursing services and education.
Dr Abubakar made the remarks at the inauguration of the council’s new zonal office in Ibadan, saying the council’s zonal office was to ensure that the council could complement the availability of nursing services and education in the different parts of the country.
According to Dr Abubakar, the new NMCN’s zonal office is to serve Oyo, Osun and Kwara states but was established in Oyo State because the state houses the highest number of nurses in south-western Nigeria and it is critical to nursing manpower development.
He added: “Nursing has had a base in Oyo State. If you are looking for excellence in nursing education and practice, it is in Oyo State.
Therefore, we must site a zonal office here in order to complement the availability of nursing services in this part of the country.
“Today, the council now has 16 zonal offices in the country to bring services closer to the people. Our statutory services have gone digital and people can access all our services within 24 hours and get whatever they want within 24 hours.”
Oyo State Commissioner for Health, Dr Taiwo Ladipo, noted that the zonal office would ease transactions with the council on nursing education, registration and other activities.
He stated that the state’s College of Nursing is being expanded to include the community midwifery scheme to impact public health, especially at the primary health care level.
Earlier, the executive secretary, Oyo State Health Insurance Agency, Dr Sola Akande, said nurses were major stakeholders in the delivery of health care services and attainment of universal health coverage, and assured of the agency’s continuous collaboration with the council in the attainment of its mandates across the country.
Source: Tribune Newspaper
