The president, Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC), Comrade Ayuba Wabba has commended the resilience of nurses and other health workers in the fight against Covid 19 pandemic in Nigeria and the world in general.
Comrade Wabba while speaking on the occasion of 2020 International Nurses Day in Abuja said “Our nurses always experience firsthand the strife for life, the surge of hope, the smiles of recovery and at the worst curve – the stench of death.
According to him “as at last week, about 200,000 health workers are estimated to have been infected with Covid-19. Out of this number 260 nurses have died from the Covid-19 infection.
“In Nigeria, the brutal backlash of the Covid-19 on health workers is very worrisome. More than 300 health workers have been exposed and infected and some have paid the supreme price fighting the pandemic.
This provides a lot of traction to the theme adopted by the National Association of Nigerian Nurses and Midwives (NANNM) in the celebration of this year’s Nurses Day – Nurses a Voice to Lead: Nursing the World to Health” He said.
The NLC President further the theme of this year celebration depicts the role of nurses as the infantry soldiers of the health profession, adding that their forte is in the trenches of health wars like the Covid-19; always by the side of sick patients even when other healthcare workers would have retired to rest.
“While we pay homage in respect of the sacrifice of our nurses in the current war against Covid-19, we reiterate our earlier calls for the government and healthcare managers across our country and other climes world over to pay attention to the voice of silent sobs by our nurses who go to war without adequate personal protective gear, conducive work environment and an impossible work schedule.
“To our dear nurses, I have a simple and short prayer for you. May this year be the year your voices and that of other health workers are heard. May 2020 be the year the salaries you are owed are paid, the promotion you deserve is given to you and the necessary support you need to enable you continue in your noble duty of saving lives is granted”.
End.
