The nurses, who spoke in separate interviews with SaharaReporters, lamented how the refusal of the management to promote them had affected their motivation to work.
Nurses at the Olabisi Onabanjo University Teaching Hospital, Ogun State, have accused the hospital management of delayed promotion despite meriting it.
The nurses, who spoke in separate interviews with SaharaReporters, lamented how the refusal of the management to promote them had affected their motivation to work.
Some of the nurses, who spoke with our correspondent on the condition of anonymity due to the fear of being sacked, said many nurses expecting to be promoted to Assistant Director of Nursing Service are still pegged on CNO position conhess 12( grade level 13) instead of conhess 13 (grade level 14) according to the scheme of service in use at the teaching hospital.
They stated that the hospital management had continued to ignore the implementation of the unified scheme of service that directed and approved the promotion of nurses through lateral conversion or proper placement.
One of the nurses said, “OOUTH graduate nurses have not been promoted since 12 years ago even after the unified scheme of service was approved. Nurses who have tendered their certificates after graduation from various schools are being ignored and left in a particular position.
“The career progression continues with promotional exams from each entering points of all nurses at every three years interval until CONHESS-13.
“After CNO CONHESS-13, you need a degree certificate to continue your career progression to Assistant Director of Nursing Service after three years, then to Deputy Director of Nursing Service after four years and finally to Director of Nursing Service after another four years according to our unified scheme of service.
“Unfortunately, OOUTH management refused to promote our degree nurses whereas other institutions have domesticated this scheme and their nurses have started enjoying it.”
The nurses also accused the hospital management of favouring some selected nurses by unduly promoting them while many others are left stagnated without promotion for years.
One of the affected nurses said, “Unfortunately OOUTH management has been favouring one person above others. Painfully, they promised to promote our nurses the same time they promoted our number one nurse yet they failed us.
“At least it shows she has been given three special positions in less than two years while others are wallowing in dejected position and she seems so satisfied with that.
“Management has been using delay tactics, promise and failed to feed us. They are not willing to promote us at all for a reason best known to them."
The nurses also complained that the stagnation of graduate nurses on CNO position for more than 12 years had led to a "serious lack of self-motivation to continue education".
“The hospital management has also neglected us. So many nurses have lost interest in advancing their education, an act that opposed the teaching hospital principle. There is no point of advancing our education when the hospital management would not promote us,” the nurses added.
They called on the Ogun State governor, Dapo Abiodun, to assist and intervene in the matter.
"We are also pleading with the National Association of Nigeria Nurses And Midwives and other association to compel OOUTH management to duly promote us and regulate our promotion from 2012 until now,” the nurses stated.
When contacted by SaharaReporters to speak on the matter, the Public Relations Officer of OOUTH, Mrs Adenuga, declined to comment on the complaints.
"This is an administrative issue and it the admin that can say exactly what is happening and the conditions for the promotion of nurses," she said.