Nursing Training in Onitsa

In South Nigeria, the Biafran civil war (1967-1970) and subsequent state centralisation severely weakened the effectiveness of the health infrastructure. In recent years, jihadist terror in the northern regions of the country has led to a significant flow of refugees into the southern regions of Nigeria, further straining the region's health capacity. St Charles Borromeo Hospital, part of the Catholic Archdiocese of Onitsha, a city of 1.5 million people, is the main healthcare facility in the city. In the Niger Delta, many diseases could be prevented or properly treated through regular and early diagnosis, which requires the presence of qualified health workers. Nurses play an important role in examinations and treatments, and their training is a key element in the reorganisation of healthcare. At the St Charles Borromeo Hospital, special attention is paid to nursing education, but due to the poor public safety in the city, safe study can only be guaranteed in the shelter of the archdiocesan hospital, in a boarding school system. Teaching capacity would allow for up to 400 students to complete the three-year course, but a number of students have had to be rejected due to a lack of accommodation. Therefore, the Hungary Helps Program supported the construction of a four-storey residential unit with a capacity of 400 people at the Institute of Nursing, contributing to the training of local nurses, increasing the efficiency of the health infrastructure and improving the health situation in the region.