The Elegant Nurses Forum (ENF) has welcomed a clarification by the Ondo State Head of Service on the deployment of Nurses, Midwives and Community Health Extension Workers (CHEWs) to health facilities across the state.
The forum also commended Nurses, the National Association of Nigeria Nurses and Midwives (NANNM), Nursing influencers and other stakeholders for raising concerns over the proposed posting of CHEWs to facilities where professional Nursing and Midwifery services are required.
The ENF made its position known in a statement signed by its National Coordinator, Nurse Thomas Abiodun Olamide.
According to the forum, the clarification was contained in a circular dated September 30, 2026, titled, “Correction of Lopsidedness in the Employment/Postings of Officers at Health Facilities in the State Hospital Management Board (HMB).”
The forum said the circular clearly distinguished between the Nurses/Midwives cadre and the Community Health Extension Workers/Officer cadre, including their qualifications, job descriptions, postings and professional limitations.
ENF said the clarification was important because healthcare workers should be deployed based on their training, professional registration, competence and lawful scope of practice.
The forum stressed that the concerns raised by Nurses were primarily about professional standards and patient safety rather than creating friction between different categories of health workers.
“The issue was never about creating unnecessary friction between different categories of health workers. It was about protecting professional standards and, most importantly, protecting patients,” the statement said.
ENF noted that the Nursing and Midwifery Council of Nigeria (NMCN) is the statutory body responsible for regulating Nursing and Midwifery education and practice in Nigeria, including the registration and licensing of Nurses and Midwives.
It added that Nurses and CHEWs have distinct roles within Nigeria’s healthcare system, particularly in relation to their training, responsibilities and scopes of practice.
“One cadre should not simply be used as a substitute for another where the duties require professional Nursing or Midwifery qualifications and registration,” the forum said.
The group further pointed to the Ondo State circular, which it said distinguished the deployment of Nurses and Midwives to General Hospitals, Specialist Hospitals and Teaching Hospitals from the deployment of CHEWs/Officers primarily to health posts, Basic Primary Health Centres and Comprehensive Health Centres.
The ENF cautioned against allowing administrative considerations to override professional standards in healthcare workforce deployment.
It said decisions concerning the posting of health personnel, if made without adequate consideration of professional scope, competence and patient safety, could affect the quality and safety of healthcare delivery.
“It is unfortunate that an issue concerning the deployment of health personnel reportedly became a source of serious concern among Nurses and other stakeholders,” the forum said.
ENF described the Head of Service’s clarification as a necessary step towards restoring clarity and preventing further misunderstanding.
The forum also urged relevant authorities to ensure that the provisions of the circular were respected in subsequent recruitment and postings.
It said healthcare workforce decisions should be guided by competence, professional regulation, appropriate deployment and patient safety rather than sentiment or administrative convenience.
The forum thanked Nurses who raised concerns over the matter, as well as Nurses in the diaspora, NANNM, Nursing influencers and other stakeholders who joined the discussion.
“This development once again demonstrates that when Nurses speak collectively and responsibly on issues affecting patient care and professional standards, their voices can make a difference,” ENF said.
The forum reaffirmed its commitment to advocating professional dignity, patient safety, justice and the recognition of Nursing as a regulated profession in Nigeria.
“Nursing is a profession. Professional standards matter. Patient safety matters,” it added.
