The nursing profession in the Congo: a challenge to be met
International Nurses Day was an opportunity for the President of the National Order of Nurses of Congo (ONIC), Komba Djeko, to issue a cry of alarm on the promotion of the nursing profession. According to him, “not just anyone should become a nurse”. Indeed, the situation in Congolese hospitals leaves something to be desired, with a lack of the most basic equipment.
Komba Djeko thus underlines the difficulty for nurses to work in such conditions. If the environment par excellence of the work of the nurse is the place of care, that is to say, the hospital and the health center, it appears that the Congolese State does not build enough hospitals, and that those that exist face a lack of the most basic equipment.
The theme for International Nurses Day this year was “Our Nurses. Our Future”. The observation is clear: to guarantee a future full of hope for the Congolese populations, it is imperative to put in place working conditions worthy of the name for nurses and health personnel in general.
Faced with this problem, the authorities should take concrete measures to strengthen the professional training of nurses, as well as to improve working conditions in health structures. This can only be possible with more funding in the area of public health.
It is therefore urgent for the Congolese government to put in place an ambitious policy to guarantee a sustained growth in the number of nurses and to improve the working conditions of health personnel in general. Only in this way will the Congolese have access to quality health care and benefit from a brighter future.