Nollywood actor, John Okafor, also known as “Mr. Ibu’’ on Thursday appealed to the government to reposition the nursing profession for it to carry out its mandate effectively.
“Mr Ibu’’ said this when some officials of the nursing profession paid him a courtesy visit in Lagos.
NAN reports that the officials of the nurses had come to brief Mr. Ibu on a proposed drama series’ project they wanted the collaboration of Nollywood members with members of the nursing profession.
Mr. Ibu said that the importance of the profession was being down-played in the health sector.
He said that nurses were strategic to national development when one considers how nurses complement medical doctors’ directives in the lives of patients in hospitals.
He said: “I now know that the importance of nurses in healthcare scheme as they sustain the life of the patient first before the arrival of the doctor.
“Now, I have been enlightened that the relationship between nurses and doctor is not just a common servant and master relationship.’’
Ibu said that the public should continue to be educated that nurses and doctors play symbiotic roles in the lives of patients.
He said: “The nurse knows what to do to sustain the patient before the arrival of the doctor.
“So you can see the level of job that both of them are doing in the lives of people.”
Earlier on, Jackson Okesola, the team leader of “Nurses-On- Air’’, which is the first media outfit to owned by nurses, told NAN that they were visiting “Mr. Ibru’’ to seek ways on how Nollywood could partner nurses in promoting the nursing profession and the healthcare sector.
Okesola said: “We want Nollywood to partner us on a clinic drama series we are currently working.
“We also have talented nurses who can act, sing and crack jokes that we will be part of this project.
“The aim of this project is to enlighten the public about the duties and responsibilities of the nurses which a lot of people don’t know.
“Nurses have been silent for too long; many people do not know that nurses are over working themselves between the four walls of the hospital.
“There are so many activities going on in the hospital that they do not have time to take care of themselves because the work load is too much.
“We in the clinical sector felt we are shooting ourselves in the foot by sitting down doing all the works and the public not knowing what we are doing.’’
Okesola said that his team decided to come out from their clinical setting into the public and present their problems.
He said: “We are creating a platform where nurses can come out and speak.
“This idea of nurses coming to speak out and enlighten the public about their functions is coming up at this time and we feel Nollywood is the perfect platform to connect to Nigerians.”
Also, Dr Dorcas Shonibare, the Director of Nursing Services in the Lagos State Ministry of Health said that there was the need to orientate the society about who a true registered and qualified nurse was.
Shonibare said: “The only way you can know a registered nurse from a quack is through an evidence of licence to practice.
“Any nurse who does not have licence and registered by the Nursing and Midwifery Council of Nigeria is a quack.
“Nurses are never trained in hospitals but they are trained in schools of nursing, schools of midwifery and post basic nursing programmes and department of nursing of universities throughout Nigeria.
“And in Lagos state, we have a disciplinary sub- committee of the nursing and midwifery, which I am the chairperson.
“So, if you come across any professional nurse that is not performing as expected, we have a disciplinary committee on ground and you can refer the case to us and that case will be properly handled.”
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