The Permanent Secretary, Lagos State Primary Health Care Board (PHCB), Dr. Ibrahim Mustapha has commended the Provost, Mrs. Oyefunso Orenuga and the Management team of the Lagos State College of Nursing, Igando for inculcating the best behaviour in students which is always being demonstrated during their community posting.
Mustapha gave the commendation at the stakeholders’ meeting held recently with the management of the College on the need to collaborate with the Board towards fulfilling the National Board for Technical Education (NBTE) requirements for the accreditation of LASCON’s HND programme.
He stated that he had received several reports from preceptors on the behaviours and performances of the College’s interns during their clinical posting at the community level, just as he implored the management to continue to maintain its cordial relationship with PHCB in order to fulfill the accreditation requirements and achieve the set goals of the Health sector as set out in the T.H.E.M.E.S agenda of the State Government.
He pleaded with the Provost for an increase in the number of the Students’ yearly intake to meet up with the quota for the required number of nurses needed in the State’s hospitals due to the roles left by the high number of those migrating for greener pastures.
Dr. Mustapha reiterated the commitment of the Board to ensure that all requests by LASCON are looked into and the Governor’s approval is sought to that effect. He promised to continue supporting the College to achieve its set goals and objectives.
The Provost of LASCON, Mrs. Oyefunso Orenuga appreciated the Permanent Secretary for the collaboration between the College and the Board, pledging to ensure that their relationship is maintained to achieve all goals and objectives.
She informed the gathering that the increase in the yearly intake of Students is not under the purview of the College but the National Board for Technical Education (NBTE), who approves the number of streams to be admitted yearly based on the capability of the Institution to meet up with the statutory requirement for the resource verification.
Orenuga further stressed that the ratio of the students to the lecturers, standard ICT equipment, demonstration room that is fully equipped with state-of-art mannequins and so on will have to be put in place to get the much-needed accreditation.
The Provost, therefore, appealed to the Permanent Secretary to use his good offices to ensure that the Education Units, Preceptors Units, Demonstration Rooms and Electronic Medical Records (EMR – which the students can access to get data on patients) are provided at the community levels as these are also part of the requirement for the accreditation of its HND programme by the National Board for Technical Education (NBTE).
She also informed the Board that community posting should be residential, enjoining the Board to provide accommodation for the students on community posts to enable them to partake in the morning and afternoon shifts. Presently, it is difficult for the College to convey the students running two shifts daily as done in the past.
Orenuga also suggested that the students should be encouraged to participate in the immunisation programme and palpation under guidance during their clinical experience at the ante-natal clinics both at the state and community levels.
She pleaded that the students should be hired and placed on Salary Grade Level 07 during their one-year internship programme done in the fifth year of the study duration.
The Director, Nursing Services of the Board, Mrs. Olasunbo Oresanya also commended the Provost and the Management of LASCON for the giant strides recorded by the College in terms of development and in line with the evolution of the Nursing profession across the globe.
All Management Staff of the College and Primary Healthcare Board were also in attendance at the meeting.
