OGUN, Nigeria – Nurses at the Federal Neuropsychiatric Hospital, Aro, Abeokuta, have given management 21 days to address shortages of essential medical equipment, inadequate staffing and poor working conditions, warning that the problems could compromise patient safety.
The nurses, under the National Association of Nigeria Nurses and Midwives (NANNM) at the hospital, raised the concerns during a protest over what they described as persistent deficiencies in the facility.
One of their major complaints was that three wards reportedly had to share a single blood pressure monitoring device, forcing staff to queue to carry out routine clinical checks.
The association called for more manual and digital blood pressure monitors, pulse oximeters, cardiac monitors, thermometers, weighing scales and glucometers.
It also demanded oxygen cylinders, emergency and resuscitation equipment, essential medicines, patient bedspreads, reliable electricity and adequate water supply.
Nurses Demand Specialist Staff, Better Conditions
Beyond equipment shortages, the nurses called for the recruitment of specialist personnel in accident and emergency, perioperative, psychiatric, intensive care and midwifery services.
They also demanded an end to what they described as single-qualified staffing arrangements, alongside regular training and retraining for healthcare workers. The association said the reported deficiencies were placing additional pressure on staff and could undermine timely and safe patient care, infection prevention and control.
It also raised concerns about the reported absence of DStv subscriptions in hospital wards for more than eight months, arguing that television could provide diversion and help reduce boredom among patients receiving psychiatric care. The nurses urged management to take concrete steps to address the demands within 21 days.
Labour Union Backs Protest
Ojewande Oluwafemi, president of the Medical and Health Workers Union of Nigeria (MHWUN), Aro branch, confirmed the action in an interview with Sunday PUNCH on Saturday.
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