The Nigeria Medical Association on Tuesday said Nigerian nurses work in inhumane conditions capable of exposing them to dangerous health risks and death in the course of the job.
In a statement signed by the president of the association, Dr Francis Faduyile, to commemorate the World Health Day, NMA also commended the nurses who were at the forefront of the fight against coronavirus.
The association said, “As the World Health Organisation celebrates the nursing profession by making the theme of the 2020 World Health Day to be ‘Support Nurses and Midwives,’ the NMA acknowledges the enormous contributions of our nurses and midwives in the health sector and the country.
“Nurses and midwives sometimes work under intense pressure, high workload and very inhumane conditions, especially in fragile health systems. These circumstances may expose them to dangerous health risks and even death while saving other lives.’
“We also note with particular concern hazards all healthcare professionals, including nurses working at the frontlines of the war against COVID-19 face continually. It is our prayer that those in authority will do all it takes to ensure a healthy working environment that is ennobling and dignifying.”
Faduyile said NMA and nurses would continue to play their roles in the health sector throughout their new-found mutual relationship, which was based on mutual respect and acknowledgment of inter-dependent roles for the good of the nation.