A Nigerian nurse who newly arrived in the United Kingdom has reportedly been sacked for praying for a 95-year-old patient under her care.
The news was broken on social media by a Nigerian nurse, Rakel Morenike, who has practised in the UK for more than 10 years.
Morenike said the nurse who newly arrived in the UK was on her first job when she was given a shift in the end-of-life ward.
According to Morenike, the nurse entered the patient’s room and began to pray that she would not die and that the prognosis of the doctors would not come to pass.
The elderly patient was said to have reported the incident to her daughter who came over to the facility to speak with the Nigerian nurse’s supervisor.
They reportedly asked the elderly patient to identify her and she did, repeating what she did.
Morenike said the Nigerian nurse was accused of lack of professionalism and sacked.
She counselled that those coming into the country should try and get the necessary information that will enable them to function without running foul of the country’s norms.
Morenike said while there is nothing wrong with prayer, the consent of the person to be prayed for must be sought to avoid trouble.
She explained that there is a massive cultural difference between Nigeria and the UK. Over there, many people in the end-of-life stage have lost their will to live and only counting down to their departure and would be offended by anyone offering them false hopes.