Lagos Nurses Tasked On Collaboration For Patients’ Integrated Care

Nurses in Lagos State Government-owned hospitals have been urged to collaborate effectively with other healthcare professionals towards the attainment of the much desired Integrated care for patients.

Special Adviser to the Governor on Health, Dr. (Mrs.) Kemi Ogunyemi, made the appeal at the Y2026 Retreat for Nurses, held at the Zone, along Gbagada – Oworonshoki Expressway.

In her lecture, “Breaking Professional Silos in Healthcare: The Nurse As a Connector”, Mrs. Ogunyemi enjoined them to see themselves as an integral part of the health system and should always be ready to collaborate with other professionals, so patients can get the best healthcare possible.

Speaking further at the two-day non-residential retreat, which had 100 Nurses, cutting across all cadres in attendance and 80 others participating online, the Special Adviser – a Nurse by profession, said; “We can no longer work in silos, it will further fragment the system.”
She said the nurses, as connectors, should never stop contributing their quotas to the best of their ability.

On her part, the Permanent Secretary, HSC, Dr. Cecilia Abimbola Mabogunje, asked the Nurses to be vigilant and alert while on duty, towards “ensuring the safety of patients, under their care, is not compromised.”

According to her, “We need collaboration, enough of doing things the old way, we are in a modern era of healthcare, where all healthcare professionals have to collaborate positively, for integrated care and better patient outcomes.”

Continuing, she said; “Nurses are very key, they are the custodians of patients. Therefore, the more the collaboration, the more efficient things turn out to be. Enough of the ‘I have paid my dues theory’, be participatory all through, irrespective of your cadre and level.”

Delivering her own lecture, titled “Accountability and Shared Responsibilities In Integrated Care”, the Director, Nursing Service Department, HSC, Nurse Adebukola Cole, emphasised the essence of integrated care, where attention is fully on patients.

According to her, “The frontier of care in Lagos now is Integrated care,” where health services are well managed and patients receive the best care.

She also advised them to embrace the new slogan, “It is our patients, not their patients”, to follow up on their patients whether in secondary or primary care, forget all their problems at the gate before stepping inside the wards, because once inside, everything is about patients.

“You need to use the Job and Patients Allocation booklet, for ease of operation, while the Ward Managers should always be a role model.

“Be accountable to your patients, carry them along, be responsible and timely at work, let your patients trust you so that you will be able to deliver integrated care.

“Everything you are doing should align with the THEMES Plus Agenda of government and that of the hospital, leverage on technology, train and retrain yourselves, let your attitude be positive always,” she added.

The event also witnessed an informative and enlightenment lectures on medical errors and avoidance, wise investment for future, presentation of plaque to the Permanent Secretary, award for winners in various categories, photo session on zonal basis, as well as Retreat Communique to round off the very lively, entertaining outings, that featured games, dances, traditional and cultural display, brain – teasers as well as gele tying session.