Health
Nursing Council Seeks Policy Support, Funding For Private Practice
By Aderogba George
The Nursing and Midwifery Council of Nigeria (NMCN) has called for stronger policy support, funding and awareness to promote and regulate private nursing practice in the country.
Dr Emmanuel Udontre, Director of Nursing Education made the call at the closing of NMCN Leaders Conference held in Abuja.
Udontre said gaps between nursing theory and clinical practice continued to undermine service quality, citing deficiencies in knowledge, skills, professional values and organisational structures.
He stressed the need to adopt digital health solutions, including e-learning, tele-nursing and artificial intelligence, to meet the demands of a rapidly evolving healthcare environment.
According to him, existing collaboration among stakeholders is yet to be fully optimised to achieve integrated, efficient and patient-centred healthcare delivery.
He also underscored the need to strengthen safety and security in healthcare environments to protect workers and ensure uninterrupted service delivery.
Udontre noted that inadequate translation of research findings into clinical practice remained a challenge, limiting improvements in healthcare outcomes.
“The Federal and State Governments, in collaboration with regulatory bodies, should implement the Clinical Partnership/Collaborative model and strengthen linkages between academic institutions and clinical settings to bridge the theory–practice gap.
“Government, regulatory bodies and educational institutions should ensure nursing education is competency-based, evidence-driven, technology-enabled and aligned with global best practices.
“Healthcare institutions, regulatory agencies and professional bodies should strengthen interprofessional collaboration, teamwork and enforce standardised, criteria-based quality care.
“Government, financial institutions and professional bodies should provide policy support, funding and awareness to promote and regulate private nursing practice,” he said.
He added that regulatory bodies and healthcare institutions should reinforce professional standards, accreditation, ethical practice, communication and documentation, while promoting professional indemnity insurance.
Udontre further called for strengthened national programmes, stakeholder collaboration, healthcare worker protection and strategic partnerships to improve healthcare delivery outcomes.
He said the conference brought together nursing leaders, academics, policymakers and practitioners from across the federation and beyond to deliberate on key issues affecting the profession.
The conference had as its theme: “Nursing Education, Research and Practice for Excellent Health Care Delivery in Nigeria: The Position of Nursing Leaders.”
According to him, the forum provided an opportunity for critical reflection on the state of nursing and the role of leadership in advancing the profession. (NAN) www.nannews.ng
Edited by Tosin Kolade
