Nursing shortage paradigm : the bayelsa state situation 1

ABSRACT This paper attempted to educate the reader about the shortage of nursing staff and how it affects Bayelsa State's health sector. Bayelsa State like any other state in Nigeria has enormous health challenges associated with manpower shortage. Bayelsa's situation is unique because of its terrain. Some factors such as cost of river transport, insecurity of lives and properties due to incessant attacks from sea pirates, poor housing, lack of portable water, deplorable state of hospitals and health centres, erratic or lack of power supply, inadequate nursing personnel, and uneven distribution of the few nurses available, were identified to be peculiar with Bayelsa terrain. This consequently resulted in increased nurse-patient load, risk for error, infection spread, high mortality rate, quackery and chances of nurses being over stressed. Recommendation such as increase in the rural posting allowance for nurses, provision of social amenities in rural areas, employment of more nurses from various states of the federation among others were made. INTRODUCTION Nurses are indispensable in the health care system because of the important role they play in patient care. A health system without adequate nurses is like a severely anaemic patient. The role nurses play in the health care delivery system at every level is geared towards providing essential services for the promotion of physical, mental, economic, social and spiritual wellbeing of individual, families, and communities. Nurses also have the responsibility of motivating members of the communities to learn and solve their own health problems and also imbibe healthful habits and life style that ensures optimum health. Nurses achieve this function as a direct care giver at all levels, by developing a variety of clinical and community skills like examination of client to identify risk factors, teaching of mothers craft skills and explaining the need for immunization, nutrition, rest and sleep, exercise etc. (Olubiyi, Fewmiand Nwana, 2004). The Nurse also function as teacher and educator, a manager and supervisor, a researcher and evaluator and a policy maker. Adequate number of nurses is essential for quality nursing care in the health care system. Bayelsa State created in 1996, located in the south-south zone of Nigeria, is made of swamps and creeks that require the infusion of enormous resources for her development. As a result, Bayelsa State is one of the most difficult terrains in the country. The State through the ministry of health is making a huge effort in rehabilitating and reactivating …