By Nsan Ndoma-Neji, Calabar
Cross River State Governor Ben Ayade yesterday lauded the Nursing and Midwifery Council of Nigeria, NMCN, for the approval of the state’s College of Nursing Science, Itigidi and also for granting full accreditation to the three state-owned Schools of Nursing in Ogoja, Obudu and Calabar, with the privilege to admit and train more number of student nurses.
Ayade made the remarks when the state Commissioner for Health, Dr. Betta Edu, presented to him certificate of full accreditation of the state’s Schools of Nursing and Midwifery from the Secretary-General/ Registrar, Nursing and Midwifery Council of Nigeria, Alhaji Faruk Umar Abubakar, in Calabar yesterday.
Stressing that with the accreditation, management of the state-owned health technology institutions can step up the number of students’ enrollment into the health institutions to study, Ayade siad that this development will give a boost to the health sector.
He said that the opportunity would help to fill the manpower gap that exists in the health system.
He said, “I thank the Nursing and Midwifery Council of Nigeria for approving the College of Nursing Sciences Itigidi, while granting Cross River State’s Schools of Nursing and Midwifery full accreditation and increasing the number of students we can admit and train per term.
“This will help fill the manpower gap that exist in the health system. I strongly commend the hard work of the proactive health team, and urge them to work harder for the achievement of universal health coverage in the state.”
The governor thanked the health sector team, headed by Dr. Edu, for helping the state to break the record and raising the bar, with great achievement in the health sector in the last one year.
Recal that the Schools of Nursing in Calabar, and Ogoja; as well as the School of Midwifery, Obudu have operated with provisional accreditation as the schools had been unable to meet up the requirements for full accreditation status.
In 2011, the provisional status of the three schools were taken away as they didn’t meet the council’s requirements for even a provisional status.
In 2018 the health institutions regained the provisional status, with all its limitations, which has now been converted to a full accreditation status, with an increase bench mark from 40 students intake to 100 in the School of Nursing, Calabar and from 50 to 75 in the other two schools.
Speaking, the state In Commissioner for Health, Dr Edu, stated that with the full accreditation status, the schools will be allowed to train more students to enable the state have more skilled hands to deliver quality health care services in the state.
