The Lagos State Government has restated its commitment to training and supporting nurses, not only to ensure quality healthcare delivery to residents but also to strengthen their role as advocates for patients’ rights and safety.
Mrs Olusola Aketi, the Director of Nursing Services at the Ministry of Health, made this known at a two-day Nurses Assembly with the theme “Nursing: Leading with Purpose”.
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the two-day event was organised by the Directorate of Nursing Services at the Folarin Coker Auditorium, Alausa, Ikeja.
Aketi said the theme of the programme was “a call to action”, noting that nursing professionals were central to the health sector and must remain compassionate, dogged and dedicated to delivering qualitative services through the knowledge they had gained.
“Nurses are very important in the scheme of things in the health sector.
“We must continue to be compassionate and dedicated, using our training and knowledge to deliver quality care while leading with purpose,” she said.
She added that the ministry, in collaboration with professional associations, was intensifying efforts to curb quackery.
She urged nurses to be more committed to patient safety and rights.
“All associations of general practitioners, including nurses, are working together to ensure quackery is checked.
“We must also lead with purpose in being advocates for patients’ safety and rights,” Aketi said.
In her goodwill message, Commissioner, Health Service Commission, Mrs Ololade Fadipe, called on nurses to lead by example through advocacy, lifelong learning and collaboration to enhance their profession.
“Nurses should be compassionate, team leaders and purpose-driven. By learning continuously and collaborating, you can enhance the profession and strengthen patient care,” she said.
Facilitators at the event, including a lawyer, Mrs Yetunde Awe and Dr Oluwole Daini, who spoke on “The Nurse as an Advocate Championing Patients’ Safety and Rights”, emphasised that nurses were the heartbeat of the healthcare system.
“Nurses are not only responsible for providing healthcare services but also for advocating for patients,” Daini said.
“They are central to the healthcare system and must continue to champion patients’ rights and safety,” Awe said.
The annual Nurses Assembly is organised by the Lagos State Ministry of Health to build capacity, improve ethical standards and motivate nurses across the state.(NAN)
