Int’l Nurses Year: Association suspends celebration in solidarity with fight against COVID-19

Tue, May 26, 2020
By publisher
4 MIN READ

Health

A non-profit making organisation, Nigerian Nurses Charitable Association-United Kingdom (NNCA-UK), says it has suspended the global celebration of International Year of the Nurse and Midwife slated for July due to COVID-19 pandemic.

The group said this in a statement by its President, Ms Wendy Olayiwola-Odutola and Director for International Liason, Mr Peters Omoragbon, which copy was obtained by News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Abuja.

“The entire world is gripped with the ravaging effects of the COVID-19 pandemic, which has put a lot of strenuous demands on the entire nursing and medical team as frontline professionals.

“Along with doctors and other medical staff, nurses have been on the frontline of the fight against coronavirus-sharing stories of exhaustion and heroism in the face of a disease that has killed so many.

“As at May 25, according to John Hopkins University, the novel coronavirus has infected more than 5.4 million people and killed over 344,000 worldwide.

“The United Kingdom has recorded more than 36,675 deaths with 257,154 cases and Nigeria with over 8, 000 cases and 223 deaths recorded so far.

“In the light of the above, the NNCA-UK, the umbrella association for all Nigerian nurses and midwives in the UK in consultation with the Global Stakeholders at a meeting has painfully decided to suspend the celebration,” she said.

According to her, the event and international scientific training programme slated from July 12 to 19 in Lagos is aimed at commemorating The Year of the Nurse and The Midwife.

The WHO has designated 2020 as the Year of the Nurse and Midwife in honour of the 200 birth anniversary of the progenitor of the modern-day nursing/midwifery profession, Florence Nightingale.

The Year of the Nurse designation by the WHO highlights the push to increase the global nursing workforce.

“The action to suspend the celebration is in solidarity with the global fight against this dreaded virus in so doing, we would love to admonish every nurse and midwife in Nigeria.

“We admonish every nurse not only as frontline soldiers against the spread of the infection but to also act as agents of attitudinal change to respect all the directives on COVID-19.

“We urge you to respect all the directives that have been put in place by the government, especially as it relates to social distancing and obeying the lockdown order.’’

The officials, however, commiserated with every Nigerian at this trying time, especially as it related to meeting their financial obligations and hoped that the government would provide palliatives to mitigate the hardship.

“To the family of our colleagues and other Nigerians that have died from the infection, we pray God to grant you peace and gratitude to bear your losses.’’

In addition, they urged the health workers to be focused and take the opportunity provided by the association to improve on their skills.

“NNCA-UK shall continue its virtual engagement with all nurses/midwives in Nigeria with educational and informative programmes.

“We continue to engage them through webinars and social media on fighting the COVID-19,  to celebrate and support our colleagues with skills and knowledge transfer.

“NNCA-UK with the Nigerian Nurses/Midwives in Diaspora as Global Stakeholders held the inaugural Webinar on Saturday, May 23rd, 2020.

“We registered over 800 participants at the Webinar and 183 live participants with officials of the Federal Ministry of Health.

“We also had participants of officials of the Nigerian Diaspora Commission, World Health Organisation, Lagos State Government with the Nursing and Midwifery Council of Nigeria and more than 25 countries were in attendance.

“This will continue on a regular basis,’’ the official assured.

NAN reports that Nurses Charitable Association-UK is a non-profit making organisation incorporated in January 1998 in the UK.

The association represents about 5,000 Nigerian Nurses and Midwives with established chapters nationwide.

The mission of the association is to provide a forum for collective action by Nigerian nurses to investigate, define and determine issues affecting its members. (NAN)

– May 26, 2020 @ 13:05 GMT |

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