The Nursing community in Nigeria was pervaded with great joy and extreme cheerfulness on Wednesday 23rd May, 2018 when the executive Governor of Kwara state His Excellency Abdulfatah Ahmed appointed a Nurse as his substantive commissioner for Health in the state.
The news of the development was conceived to be a historic one due the fact that such is very uncommon, rare and scarce in Nigeria.
The development also came at a time when the Joint Health Sector Unions (JOHESU) members are on strike nation wide demanding for justice and fair treatment in the Health sector. Among JOHESU major demand is appointment of Head of Health institutions, parastatals, agencies and colleges of health sciences on merit not on professional affiliation.
The current arrangement of health industry in Nigeria is that only a medical doctor becomes the Head. This is not only an injustice but a violations of the fundamental human rights which provides for human aspirations and self-determination.
Leadership in its entirety, is usually a natural endowment rather than a personal or specific professional category endowment. Some people naturally make better leaders than others. Leadership in the health sector should be remodel and be based on merit rather than sentiments.
The executive Governor of Kwara state has taken it up to inform and show the world that he is a fair and just leader who appoint leaders and officers based on merit rather than their affiliations. The choice of Alh Usman Kolo Rifun by His Excellency Abdulfatah Ahmed is a well-deserved one baring the various leadership and administrative skills of the new Commissioner of Health for Kwara state.
As a Nurse, Alh Usman Kolo Rifun has distinguished himself as a true professional who practice his profession with true of spirit of professionalism and expertise.
Alh Usman Kolo Rifun a born indigiene of Patigi local government area of Kwara state was former student of the Kwara state School of Nursing and Midwifery, Ilorin that was established in the year 1973. The Honourable Commissioner of Health Kwara state was a member of the class 1983 set 15 of the School.
With his appointment it is believed that great development and transformations will come to the health sector of Kwara state given his versatile experience and skills. In particular, great transformations are expected to come to the Profession of Nursing in the state such as the upgrading of the state school of Nursing and Midwifery to a degree awarding institution, fighting quackery, improvement of the welfare of Nursing students and staff in the state and improving their capacities.

In my opinion, I think it’s only the Nurse that deserve to be heading our health institutions in Nigeria.
This is in consideration with the rigorous training the Nurse receives in the course of his training. Management is one of the core courses that every Nurse must take during his/her training. it is for this reason that Nurses manage, coordinate and organise wards in hospitals efficiently. Someone may say managing Health industry is far beyond that of the ward. I won’t agree and submit to this ascertion.
In countries that developed and those with good and quality healthcare system always appoint a Nurse to head. A contemporary example is in the USA, where the Surgeon-General is a Nurse. The Surgeon-General is equivalent to a Health Minister in our African countries.
During Yar’aduwa/Jonathan regime a Nurse from Zamfara state was appointed a State Minister for Health. He has discharged his job wonderfully well and help the Nursing Profession tremendously. It was during his time that a Directorate for Nursing Services was established in the Federal Ministry of Health. The Directorate is currently helping to coordinate the activities of Nursing profession in the country.
At this juncture I will advice President Muhammadu Buhari to with immediate effect sack both the two ministers of the Federal Ministry of Health (main and for state) for their inability to bring an end to the current ongoing nation wide strike and also for bringing politics and sentiments into the issue. This has left the poor Nigerian masses who can not afford to go private hospitals to continue dying. This has marred the good image of President Buhari and his agenda for CHANGE.
Consequent upon the implementation of my suggestion a Nurse and a pharmacist should be appointed immediately to replace the two ministers who are Medical Doctors for total and absolute transformation, restoration and rebranding of the Nigerian healthcare industry. With the later two (Nurse and pharmacist) Mr President and other Nigerian elites will never go abroad again for treatment of Minor illnesses and even major ones.
I recently came to understand that, the problem with the Nigerian healthcare industry is mainly leadership not a manpower or facilities deficiency. A significant number of Nigerian health professionals are in different parts of the world making a breakthrough.
Congratulations to Alh (Nurs.) Usman Kolo Rifun for the well-deserved appointment. We hope to Kwara state rated as the one of the best state in Nigeria in terms of good and quality Healthcare delivery.
Source: Medical world
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Does Kwara state have Doctors any more. A state that pays Medical Officers paltry sums cannot be taken seriously. Congrats on ur appointment @ Commissioner.

MrBigiman:
Does Kwara state have Doctors any more. A state that pays Medical Officers paltry sums cannot be taken seriously. Congrats on ur appointment @ Commissioner.

Buh there are lots of consultant Physicians at UITH na

The former was a barrister and the one before a pharmacist. Its a political post just like Minister of health and is open to anybody

Dnaz:
The former was a barrister and the one before a pharmacist. Its a political post just like Minister of health and is open to anybody

It's not new. We have had non doctors as minister and we all lived.

Dnaz:
The former was a barrister and the one before a pharmacist. Its a political post just like Minister of health and is open to anybody

Short and informative.

Beautiful
Kwara state governor is ahead of his peers in appointing a nurse as substantive commissioner of health. Leadership is based on merit and track record and not necessarily MBBS as championed by NMA

MrBigiman:
Does Kwara state have Doctors any more. A state that pays Medical Officers paltry sums cannot be taken seriously. Congrats on ur appointment @ Commissioner.

kwara has more than enough Doctors. some are Still looking for placement in private hospitals even with the peanuts pay...
they are still very plenty...

portable4real:



kwara has more than enough Doctors. some are Still looking for placement in private hospitals even with the peanuts pay...
they are still very plenty...

They probably have more nurses completely out of paid employment and edged out by auxiliary nurses and offered less than 20k a month. But the deal is congratulations to the new commissioner.

The post is exclusively political now , anyone one can occupy it. The prerequisite is just being oriented in the health field. The same thing goes for minister of health too. We have some states whose commissioners are not doctors now . The current head of WHO is a biologist who has PhD in clinical immunology, WHO as the name sounds is an organization and not hospital . so any health related - policy making organization can be headed by any politically inclined health personnel.

Thanks18:
Beautiful
Kwara state governor is ahead of his peers in appointing a nurse as substantive commissioner of health. Leadership is based on merit and track record and not necessarily MBBS as championed by NMA

commissioner or minister is a political post anyone can be put there....

doyinbaby:
commissioner or minister is a political post anyone can be put there....

But NMA has been laying sway to these political appointments from 80s till date, stressing that one must be a holder of MBBS in order to be qualified for such appointment. This is the point JOHESU is emphasizing that all leadership position in the health sector should be open to all competent hands drawn from all stakeholders- JOHESU and NMA. so I think it is new dawn for the health sector.

There is hope for common sense after all. More power to JOHESU.

I think JOHESU should invest a lot in media and information consultancy to sustain the current enlightenment of Nigerians as regards the current goings-on in the health sector. The media tempo must be sustained even after all contentious issues are resolved with the FG lest we drift back to the dark era.

I'm an intelligent Medical Scientist who loves the prestige of being a medical laboratorian and I stand with common sense and progress.

Lalasticlala 'la front la page'

Thanks18:


But NMA has been laying sway to these political appointments from 80s till date, stressing that one must be a holder of MBBS in order to be qualified for such appointment. This is the point JOHESU is emphasizing that all leadership position in the health sector should be open to all competent hands drawn from all stakeholders- JOHESU and NMA. so I think it is new dawn for the health sector.

Despite knowing that the former commissioner was a lawyer and the one preceeding that a pharmacist. What new dawn does this mean?

MrBigiman:


Despite knowing that the former commissioner was a lawyer and the one preceeding that a pharmacist. What new dawn does this mean?

Oh NMA stooge....
Cry cry baby

MrBigiman:


Despite knowing that the former commissioner was a lawyer and the one preceeding that a pharmacist. What new dawn does this mean?

If it's not a new dawn, then what's it Mr Bigiman? Why is happening now? Go back to the story and read the reason the Governor made for doing so? Let me copy and paste the statement of His Excellency-
The executive Governor of Kwara state has taken it up to inform and show the world that he is a fair and just leader who appoint leaders and officers based on merit rather than their affiliations.

JoannaSedley:
Oh NMA stooge....
Cry cry baby

Don't call me names. Congrats to the commissioner. Let stop politicizing everything.

MrBigiman:


Don't call me names. Congrats to the commissioner. Let stop politicizing everything.

Haha haha. That's not name calling Na. Are you no longer an NMA social media warlord.?