Nurses warned against indiscipline
The National Organisation of Nurses and Midwives in Malawi (Nonm) has warned nurses against misconduct, saying it will unleash drastic measures on wayward members.
Nonm president Shouts Simeza said this in an interview yesterday at a National Professional Conference at Sunbird Capital in Lilongwe as part of the commemoration of the 2022 International Nurses Day.
He said the conference was convened after receiving complaints from the public about cases of misconduct by some nurses and midwives.
Simeza said: “There are so many complaints such as nurses entertaining themselves on phones while attending to patients, some nurses are also alleged to be taking patients’ photos and sharing them on social media.
“We also received complaints about nurses sleeping on duty and others absconding work. Worst of all, some nurses are accused of using offensive [language] on patients and we also tackled the issue of dress code.”
Malawi University of Science and Technology vice-chancellor Address Malata, a nurse by profession who was the guest of honour, reminded the nurses that their profession is a sacrifice.
She said nurses take an oath to serve patients as such any conduct to the contrary is a breach of the code.
Malata said: “We are angels and we have to show that in our service. It is inhumane to be on WhatsApp or Facebook while a patient is groaning in pain. It doesn’t serve our purpose, so let us change.”
Malawi Health Equity Network executive director George Jobe said the nurses have taken the right approach to addressing feedback from the public.
“Feedback is very important, but it doesn’t count for anything if there is no action taken. Nonm has done the best thing by discussing the public feedback and coming up with a solution,” he said.
During the conference, Nonm and sponsors Old Mutual Malawi plc presented prizes to the best health facilities and best performing nurses.
This year’s International Nurses Day is commemorated under the theme ‘Nurses: A Voice to Lead, Invest in Nursing and Respect Rights to Secure Global Health’.
