Experts seek better ways of addressing Nursing, Midwife shortages in Nigeria

Around seventy thousand frontline professionals will be required to close the gap in shortages for Nurses and Midwives by 2030, according to experts at this year’s International Day of Nurses.

This is why the national association of Nigerian nurses and midwives is urging for more support of nurses and midwives through addressing the root causes of nursing shortages such as poor remuneration, a lack of social protection, and an improvement in professional development opportunities.

As the world gradually returns to normalcy post COVID, frontline healthcare workers like nurses will continue to play critical roles in future health challenges that may arise.

This year’s theme is “Nurses, our future highlights the need for health systems strengthening for the future” is meant to address global health challenges and improve health for everyone

This conference in Nigeria want to see much more done to promote the nursing and midwifery professions through investments in nursing education and improvements in service delivery.

Brain drain continues to play a pivotal role in the shortages of these specialized frontline health workers due to several factors

More than 75,000 nurses and midwives have migrated from the shores of the country within the last five years

The 2021 state of the world’s midwifery report puts the shortages of midwives in Nigeria at about 30,000 which is 6 per 10,0000 people

To close this gap about 70,000 nurses and midwives will be needed by the year 2030 but with current estimates only about 40,000 will be available leaving a shortfall of 30,000 nurses and midwives

Experts believe that the lessons learnt from the pandemic need to be translated into actions for the future in order to ensure that nurses are protected and valued for the future.