Sodiq Ojuroungbe Amid dwindling health workers in the health sector, young nurses across the country have raised the alarm over widespread bullying and overwork they face in the state and federal government-owned health facilities, noting that it is impacting negatively on their productivity. They lamented that these are challenges contributing to the declining number of nurses in the profession and posing significant risks to patient care. The nurses spoke exclusively with PUNCH Healthwise during a press briefing organised by the Nursing Group Administrators to protest against the new certificate verification guidelines set up by the Nursing and Midwifery Council of Nigeria.

The aggrieved nurses lamented that many of them have been subjected to various forms of bullying by senior colleagues, including verbal abuse, humiliation, and exclusion. They noted that these experiences have exposed them to mental health issues, with some choosing to leave the profession and travel abroad to work. One of the young nurses, who is also a representative of the group, Edike Osemeke, said the alarming trend is exacerbating the country’s nursing shortage, thus, putting patient safety at risk.

He added, “One of the key challenges highlighted by younger nurses is the unfair workload on their cadre, the reluctance of hospital managements to employ more nurses, and the toxic work culture in their facilities. “We take these issues seriously because young nurses are the most mobile group and.