The Elegant Nurses Forum (ENF) has condemned the alleged deployment of Community Health Extension Workers (CHEWs) recruited by the Ondo State Government to perform duties ordinarily assigned to professionally trained and licensed nurses in secondary healthcare facilities.
The group described the development as a serious threat to professional standards, patient safety and the quality of healthcare delivery across the state.
According to the forum, while CHEWs play an important role in primary healthcare and community-based services, their deployment to perform duties reserved for registered nurses and midwives could undermine the professional structure of the health sector and expose patients to avoidable risks.
ENF called on the Ondo State Government and relevant health authorities to ensure that healthcare workers are deployed strictly in line with their professional training, qualifications, licences and defined scopes of practice.
The group also urged the government to prioritise the recruitment and proper deployment of qualified nurses and midwives to address manpower shortages in secondary healthcare facilities, rather than filling nursing positions with personnel from other cadres.
The forum stressed that every category of healthcare professional has a defined role within the health system and that maintaining clear professional boundaries is essential to protecting patients and ensuring effective healthcare delivery.
ENF therefore appealed to the Ondo State Government to review the alleged deployment and engage relevant nursing stakeholders to resolve the issue in the interest of patients, healthcare workers and the overall health system.bbl
