Nurses at the Federal Neuropsychiatric Hospital, Aro, Abeokuta, Ogun State, have given the hospital management 21 days to address shortages of medical equipment, inadequate staffing and poor working conditions, warning that the situation could jeopardise patient safety and quality of care.
The nurses, operating under the National Association of Nigeria Nurses and Midwives at the hospital, staged a protest to draw attention to what they described as persistent shortcomings in the facility’s equipment, infrastructure and working environment.
Among the issues raised was the shortage of blood pressure monitoring devices, with the association alleging that nurses in three wards had to share a single apparatus and take turns using it to perform routine clinical duties.
The nurses expressed concern that the lack of essential equipment was unacceptable in a specialised medical facility that provides round-the-clock care for patients with mental health conditions.
Their demands include the provision of manual and digital blood pressure monitors, pulse oximeters, cardiac monitors, thermometers, weighing scales and glucometers.
They also called for oxygen cylinders, emergency and resuscitation trays, essential emergency supplies and adequate medicines for patients.
The association further urged the management to provide bedspreads for patients and ensure regular electricity and water supply, noting that the deficiencies placed additional burdens on healthcare workers and threatened effective service delivery.
Beyond the provision of equipment, the nurses demanded the recruitment and deployment of specialist personnel in accident and emergency, perioperative, psychiatric, intensive care and midwifery services.
They also called for an end to what they described as single-qualified staffing arrangements and advocated regular training and retraining programmes to improve healthcare delivery and strengthen patient safety.
Another concern raised by the association was the reported absence of DStv subscriptions in the hospital wards for more than eight months.
The nurses argued that television programmes could serve as a form of diversional therapy, helping to keep patients occupied and reduce boredom during their treatment.
The association maintained that adequate equipment, sufficient personnel, reliable electricity and clean water were necessary for effective patient care, infection prevention and control, as well as the welfare of healthcare workers.
It urged the hospital management to implement concrete measures to address the concerns within the 21-day ultimatum, warning that the existing conditions were placing unnecessary pressure on nurses and could affect the timely and safe delivery of healthcare services.
Speaking with The Punch on Saturday, the President of the Medical and Health Workers Union of Nigeria, Aro branch, Ojewande Oluwafemi, confirmed the protest and said his union was in agreement with the nurses’ association on the action.
“Today is the second day. Both unions are on the same page on the ultimatum because we are working,” he stated.
