Nursing Internship; A Pathway To Achieving Better Health Outcomes

I am still wondering if we should continue like that. The Federal Government is known to be establishing Tertiary Health Care Institutions for training and research of healthcare workers/students alongside formulating the National Health Policy in which the “One Year Nursing Internship Program” Is fully part of it as approved by the Federal Government in September 2016, for subsequent implementation by all Federal Institution in Nigeria and be adopted by State Government too. This is in line with the requirements of becoming a professional Nurse for the benefit of humanity and the country’s health which is wise of the Government through the National Council of Establishment and Federal Ministry of Health.

It’s quite unfortunate that some teaching hospitals and Federal Medical Centers are yet to implement this for the reason best known to them. What pains me, is that of UMTH, as one of the best training institutions in the northeast, it’s disheartening to exclude Nursing internships despite having or under the same institution with a department training BNSc. Nursing at the University of Maiduguri.

Fully known that UMTH is a Federal Institutions, the graduate Nurses from the region and beyond applied for Nursing in the said institutions almost 6 months ago upon approval by the NMCN almost a year ago but still were not considered as other sister professions who were considered some months back.

The said institution recently recruited Nurses as Locum staff which is applaudable but why not employ those graduates for their internship alongside the massive recruitment of Nurses as Locum staff in a balanced ratio, my take though. This worries me because I am yet to figure out why it’s happening this way; Nurses are professionals through which health gaps can be filled and with which achieving SDG will be possible, have them fully trained is a pathway to preparedness for achieving what is expected of a better health outcome, so, therefore, I implore the CMD, CMAC, DNS, NANNM of the said Unit and the entire Nurses of the Hospital alongside supporters of the better healthcare system to please come to the aid of graduate Nurses in Borno State. Thank You.

Nr. Reuben Zirahgi Markus