Federal Government has promised to gazette the Nurses’ Scheme of Service approved by the National Council on Establishments (NCE) in 2016.

Already, the Federal Ministry of Health and Social Welfare has written to the Office of the Head of the Civil Service of the Federation on the need to get the scheme gazetted, while the Director of Nursing in the Federal Ministry of Health and the office of the Secretary General NANNM are to follow up with the Head of Service and the Federal Government Printer to ensure that the gazetting is done within four weeks.

The National Association of Nigerian Nurses and Midwives (NANNM) had, on Wednesday, embarked on a seven-day warning strike over demands, including an upward review of shift allowance, adjustment of uniform allowance, a separate salary structure for nurses, an increase in core duty allowance, mass recruitment of nurses, and the establishment of a nursing department in the Federal Ministry of Health, among others.

However, the strike was suspended on Saturday after a virtual meeting of NANNM’s National Executive Council.

A Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) was signed between the Federal Government and NANNM at the end of a conciliation meeting held on August 1, which was sighted by The Guardian. It showed that it has been agreed that the Federal Ministry of Health and Social Welfare immediately directed the nursing council to put in place modalities for the central placement of nurses for internship, as done for others.

It added that the Nursing and Midwifery Council of Nigeria (NMCN) would complete the ongoing process of centralising placement, as done for other professional groups, taking into account the needs of states to avoid concentration in Abuja and Lagos.

On the implementation of the National Industrial Court Judgement/Creation of the Department of Nursing at the Federal Ministry of Health, it was resolved that the matter be referred to the Ministry of Justice for interpretation and compliance with the NICN Judgement.

Regarding professional allowances being demanded by the nurses, the parties agreed that the Federal Ministry of Health and Social Welfare would discuss separately with each of the major blocks of the Health Professional Unions on the proposals, along with the National Salaries, Income and Wages Commission (NSIWC) Federal Ministry of Finance, Budget Office, HCSF and the Federal Ministry of Labour and Employment to agree on the way forward within two weeks.

Concerning the demand for fair representation of NANNM in the Board of Tertiary Health Institutions, the Minister of Health and Social Welfare assured the union that the ministry would be fair and just to the nurses in the appointment of the boards of the tertiary health institutions in line with Acts establishing the institutions and a letter has been sent to that effect.