“Tell me, how would they administer treatment? If they learn how to give injections, do they know why they are giving the injections and the quantity to give? Our association tried to fight it but it’s difficult because doctors are the ones training and using them,” she said.
The Act, which establishes the Nursing and Midwifery Council of Nigeria, provides in Section 21 : “It shall be an offence for any person without the approval of the Minister, given on the recommendation of the Council, to train or purport to train any person as a nurse or midwife or to provide any course of training or establish any school for such purpose or as one of its purposes; and any such person shall be...
“They are helping nurses and not supposed to perform certain tasks in the hospitals or healthcare system. They are not permitted to give injections or infusions. They are just not meant to do the work of a registered nurse,” he insisted. She said, “Majority of them have had their training in private healthcare institutions that are not accredited or recognised by the government to do so. Training of auxiliary nurses was outlawed by the Lagos State government many years ago.
“Auxiliary nurses are not recognised by the Lagos State government because they don’t have any form of licensure to carry out patient care or medical services. There is also no government body or institution that trains or licenses them.”