AKURE (FIC’ Report) – The Ondo State School of Nursing and Midwifery will soon be upgraded to degree awarding status.
The Permanent Secretary, Ondo State Ministry of Health, Dr. Ebiwumi Taiwo Oni who disclosed this while monitoring the keenly contested entrance examination into the institution for the year 2017/2018 session said with the recent National Policy by the Nursing and Midwife’s council, most school of Nursing and Midwifery will now award Higher National diploma and degree.
Dr. Oni commended the management of the Institution for conducting a credible entrance examination for the 1,600 candidates seeking admission to 50 available spaces.
He also expressed satisfaction at the students who conducted themselves properly, saying with this culture of zero tolerance to examination malpractices in the state, the sky is not the limit for the state but the stepping stone.
The Permanent Secretary used the medium to warn private hospitals in the state to desist from training nurses and midwives as they are not permitted by law to do so.
The Director Nursing services, Mrs Alice Ogundele, said nursing which is in high demand around the world is very pivotal in the delivery of quality healthcare, thus the few available spaces in the school are being keenly contested for.
She said most countries of the world including Nigeria have not been able to meet the specified ratio 1 Nurse-4patients in a ward; hence there is the high demand for Nurses around the world.
To reduce maternal morbidity and mortality in any country, trained Nurses are skilled birth attendants.
The Principal, School of Nursing, Mrs Idowu Edward said the school has carve a niche for itself by the performance of its students in external examinations which has not been less than 95% at any point in time.
Mrs Edward said Nursing profession has improved in quality and in higher demand than before as population increases, saying students will be admitted strictly on merit as this will enhance the future of the profession.
Two of the candidates that wrote the exam, Adeniran Funke and Adekola Joshua said they developed passion for the job because it is a compassionate and life saving job.
