"There will be a major shake-up" New NONM President

Dorothy Ngoma New NONM President

The nurses union of Malawi, National Organisation for Nurses and Midwives (NONM) has elected Mrs Dorothy Ngoma as President of the union on Sunday.

The union has elected Ngoma on Sunday at the end of the three day Biannual conference in Lilongwe and has replaced Mr. Abraham Jonathan Gama who led the union for a single term. Gama was also seeking his second term.

 “As you are aware that we have a lot of issues that we need to continue, we started very well for some time but we stored a little bit but there are a lot of things.”  Said Dorothy Ngoma the newly elected nurses union president when explaining some of the things that she is promising Malawian nurses as she takes up the post.

“You remember there is issue of upgrading of nurses, the need to get more scholarships, the need to work on conversion programme so that all the nurses in Malawi become one cadre that of registered nurses or the professional nurses. That’s what seemed to come strongly in the whole conference.”

She strongly indicated that her first crucial role is to ensure that more nurse technicians are given scholarships to upgrade to state registered nurses and that registered nurses should be specialized.

In order to reduce “continued illnesses and death” among nurses due to diseases like cancer, Ngoma wishes that the country should have ‘nurses centre’ and would ask government to put all nurses on health care plan of MASM.

She said she will also ensure that nurses welfare improve further particularly on housing, salaries and ensure that nurses have all necessary resources for patient care.

“I have four years, and within those four years there is going to be a major shake-up, a major development of that union.” She said and continued “And my believe and hope is that us as a union and government we will work together because we are there for the good of patient.”

“We will continue lobbying and advocating for good patient care for resources for care while protecting the nurses, because many nurses are dying out there. Infectious conditions, and on Ebora, we need to champion that and make sure that every nurse and health care workers knows what to do. So that if we get to know there is a case no nurse or health worker should die.”

Ngoma also mentioned that having vast experience including working in government she is in better position to assist NONM in suistanability and mobilizing funds for scholarships for those who need to upgrade to state registered nurses and those wish to specialize.

Dorothy Ngoma is one of the pioneers in establishment of NONM and some years back, worked for the institution as Executive Director before being appointed by former president Dr. Joyce Banda to work as National Coordinator for Safe Motherhood.