By Moses Adeniyi

The Lagos State Government (LASG) has assured health professionals in the State that challenges which have been making their colleagues flee the country, are being addressed urgently in the State.

The State Government gave the assurance in response to the projection that more young professionals trained in the State may be seeking to acquire skills and pursue a career abroad.

The Government gave the assurance while charging new inductees of the 4th Set of Nursing Science Graduates, the class of 2022/2023, of the Lagos State University College of Medicine (LASUCOM).

Charging them to be up and doing as good ambassadors to  represent the State and the Country appropriately in good light, the State Government assured that modalities had been put in place to make the working environment conducive for health workers in the State.

The guest speaker at the induction ceremony, Dr. (Mrs)  Kemi Ogunyemi, Special Adviser on Health to the Lagos State Governor, Mr. Babajide Sanwo-Olu, said at the instance of the increasing exodus of health professionals out of the Country, while the graduands cannot be stopped from acquiring the requisite skills or pursuing a career abroad, she urged them to be magninamous to return to serve and add value to their country.

This is as she hinted that the government is working hard to keep professionals within the Country and bring others in the diaspora back to add value to the health system in the Country.

She mentioned that issues of fixing infrastructures, working conditions and providing state of art equipment for work, are part of the problems the Government has set before the table for consideration.

She said the subject of good conduct for the new inductees was a necessity for the professionals to project Nigeria in good light before the World.

Mentioning that the prevailing exodus of health professionals out of the Country is an issue the Government is working to address, she said, “make us all proud, we need you,” urging them that they could go abroad to acquire skills but consider coming back to give value to Nigeria.

She charged them to optimise all opportunities and take critical interest in analysis and new ideas.

“You must make yourself valuable, it’s so important to develop yourself and be the best in what you do,” she charged them, calling on them to be part of the solutions to the emerging problems of the health sectors.

Speaking on Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu’s  mandate for the institution to produce at least 1,000 health workers per year, the Provost, LASUCOM, Prof. Abiodun Adewuya, said the induction was a part of commitment to the task.

“It is like a mandate to us and in the next few years I think we can fulfill that. The mandate is to expand  our in-take to take in more doctors, nurses, and more dentists,” he said.

On the measures, he said, “We are expanding our infrastructure and making sure that we are getting more lecturers and taking-up more campuses. Apart from LASUTH here, the government is trying to give us other campuses, so that we can use all these infrastructures to produce more nurses, doctors and dentists,” he said.

Adewuya said, “The Lagos State Government seems to be doing what we have recommended, that is to upgrade the infrastructures of our hospitals,” mentioning the State’s owned hospitals were currently undergoing  upgrade.

“We already have the hospitals, what we need now is to have more personnel to train and the infrastructures of these hospitals are being revamped,” he said.

Adewuya added that the plans were to make the hospitals not only open to services, but also as centres for training health workers, mentioning that in addition to LASUTH, other hospitals  would serve as teaching hospitals.

On the issue of measures to retain health workers from fleeing the Country, he said “the most important thing is to make the environment conducive.”

Such measures he advised the government to muster efforts on, including having accommodation for health workers, good working environment and a liveable wage.

“So, what does a doctor or any health worker need; a good place to stay, a good working environment and a liveable wage.

“So, when we can provide  accommodation, maybe for doctors working inside the hospitals; if we can make sure that whatever they need to do their work is provided, and they are provided with a wage that is okay for them, I think that is good enough,” the provost submitted.

Charging the inductees, the  Vice Chancellor, Lagos State University, Prof. Ibiyemi Olatunji-Bello, mentioned that the event does not only “mark the beginning of your professional journey as Nurses,” but also demands  commitment to serving humanity.

Describing nursing as a noble profession demanding compassion, she said the profession as the “backbone of any healthcare system,” demands that the inductees exhibit the core values learnt from the College to service.

The VC who was represented by Deputy Vice Chancellor,  Professor Adenike Boye,  charged them to be guided by the challenges that lie ahead, saying they must be adaptable and proactive to embrace the ever changing landscape by staying abreast of the latest standards of the health sector.=

She called on them to be “advocates of change and beacons of hope,”  use their voice for equity and work “to make positive impacts in the lives of those they serve.”

Speaking, the Head of Department of Nursing, LASUCOM, Dr. Bola Ofi, implored the inductees to further their studies, as learning is continuous and compose themselves to address challenges and the demands of the responsibilities set before them.

She urged them to continue to identify problems and conduct research to make changes in the health sector.

Mentioning nursing calls for commitment to serving humanity, saying it is a noble profession demanding compassion, and the backbone of any healthcare system, she told them to exhibit the core values learnt from the College.

She charged them to be guided by the challenges that lie ahead, saying they must be adaptable and proactive to embrace the ever changing landscape, staying abreast of the latest standards of the sector.

She called on them to be advocates of change and beacons of hope, while lending their voice for equity and work “to make positive impacts in the lives of those they serve.”

The Chief Medical Director, LASUTH, Prof Adetokunbo Fabanwo, said about six other universities in the Country send their nursing students to LASUCOM for training, a posture he said, “draws from the culture of excellence that our University and College of Medicine is engraven with.”

He urged the inductees to be very good ambassadors of the institution, practising with such a posture of excellence.

Inducting the graduands,  the Registrar and CEO of the Nursing and Midwifery Council of Nigeria, said the induction is another “symbolic turning point” to the committed health care system.

She told the graduands not only to “provide comfort to those in need, commitment to the sacred duty to alleviate suffering and well being of individuals under your care,  bringing solace to those in pain,” but also “be committed to shaping the entire health care landscape.”

Mentioning the profession demands “resilience and unwavering commitment to excellence,” the Registrar who was represented by Mrs. Modupe Christiana Ayoola, Ass Director, Head of Index unit,  Nursing and Midwifery Council of Nigeria, urged them to “face the challenge ahead,” and “treat each person with dignity and respect.”

The overall best students, Balogun Modupe appreciated the College, educators, parents, for their contribution, assuring commitment of unique contributions to the society by shaping the future with the knowledge gained.