The National Association of Nigeria Nurses and Midwives (NANNM), Ondo State Council, has raised concerns over what it described as the growing deployment of non-nursing personnel to nursing positions in secondary healthcare facilities across the state.
NANNM said the practice could undermine patient safety, professional standards and the quality of healthcare delivery, particularly in hospitals operating under the Ondo State Hospitals’ Management Board (HMB).
The association made its position known after its State Executive Council considered the issue at its third-quarter meeting held on Thursday, September 10, 2026.
In a statement signed by its Public Relations Officer in the state, Okikiola Aremu, NANNM alleged that vacancies approved for nurses and midwives were not transparently declared or openly advertised, while recruitment slots were reportedly used to accommodate non-nursing cadres because “no nurses applied.”
The association questioned the basis for such a claim, noting that qualified and unemployed nurses and midwives, including holders of Registered Nurse (RN), Registered Midwife (RM) and Bachelor of Nursing Science (BNSc) qualifications, remain available within and outside Ondo State.
“Where vacancies are not openly declared, how can qualified professionals be expected to apply?” the association asked.
NANNM stressed that its objection was not directed at other healthcare professions, describing the matter as a ‘patient safety issue rather than a cadre war’.
It said every healthcare profession has a defined scope of practice and acknowledged the contributions of different cadres to the healthcare system.
However, the association argued that professional boundaries are necessary to protect patients and ensure accountability.
NANNM alleged that non-nursing personnel were increasingly being deployed to secondary healthcare facilities to perform duties statutorily assigned to registered nurses and midwives.
It maintained that such personnel have their primary place of posting in primary healthcare centres and operate within defined scopes of practice under the appropriate professional and administrative structures.
According to the association, deploying them to secondary facilities should not become a substitute for employing appropriately qualified nurses and midwives.
NANNM warned that replacing nurses and midwives with personnel without the required nursing and midwifery qualifications could affect safe staffing, continuity of care, emergency response, maternal and newborn services, infection prevention, medication administration and clinical documentation.
It also argued that such practices could weaken the referral system and compromise the quality of care delivered in secondary healthcare facilities.
The association acknowledged the efforts of Ondo State Governor, Lucky Aiyedatiwa, to improve healthcare delivery through the expansion of Basic Emergency Obstetric and Newborn Care (BEMONC) and Comprehensive Emergency Obstetric and Newborn Care (CEMONC) services, hospital infrastructure upgrades and investments in maternal and newborn health.
However, NANNM said these investments could be undermined if the professional workforce required to deliver the services was weakened.
“At a time when Ondo State is striving to improve maternal and child health outcomes and strengthen its referral system, weakening the nursing and midwifery workforce at secondary healthcare level will be counterproductive,” the association said.
NANNM said the consequences of inadequate professional staffing would ultimately affect patients rather than government officials or professional associations, particularly pregnant women, mothers, newborns and other vulnerable people who depend on public healthcare facilities.
NANNM’s demands
The association called for the immediate withdrawal of non-nursing personnel allegedly deployed to nursing duty posts, wards and positions requiring the statutory functions of registered nurses and midwives in HMB facilities.
It also demanded transparent recruitment of qualified registered nurses and midwives to fill existing vacancies under the hospitals’ management board.
NANNM further called for a review of the recent recruitment and posting exercise to ensure fairness, transparency, merit and compliance with professional standards.
The association requested an urgent stakeholders’ meeting involving NANNM and relevant government authorities to harmonise recruitment, posting and deployment policies.
It also demanded strict adherence to the approved scopes of practice of all healthcare cadres to prevent role substitution and protect patients from what it described as unsafe practice.
NANNM said it appreciated government efforts in the health sector and remained committed to constructive engagement, but warned that dialogue should not be interpreted as silence when professional standards and patient safety are at stake.
“The government cannot build hospitals without building the professional workforce required to operate them safely,” the association said.
It added that the state could not strengthen BEMONC and CEMONC services while simultaneously weakening the nurses and midwives who provide critical round-the-clock care within those services.
NANNM urged the Ondo State Government and authorities responsible for the Hospitals’ Management Board to address the issue immediately before, according to the association, the alleged practice becomes institutionalised.
The association said it remained open to dialogue but was prepared to take lawful and legitimate union action to defend the nursing and midwifery professions, protect patients and preserve healthcare standards in the state.
“Patient safety is non-negotiable,” NANNM said.
“Professional standards are non-negotiable. The statutory roles of Nurses and Midwives are not bargaining chips.”
