🌟 In honour of International Nurses Day, we want to highlight the story of Kofoworola Abeni Pratt, a key figure in NHS history.
Kofoworola was born in Lagos Nigeria in 1915 and she grew up wanting to be a nurse but for several years she had to follow a different path and worked as a teacher at the United Missionary College in Ibadan, Nigeria.
It wasn’t until 1946 that Kofoworola began studying nursing at the Nightingale school at St Thomas’ Hospital in the UK, qualifying as a state registered nurse in 1950. She worked for the NHS for the next four years and became the first qualified black nurse to do so. As well as completing her regular training, Kofoworola went on to obtain extra certificates in midwifery, tropical diseases, the ward sister’s course and hospital nursing administration. Kofoworola returned to Nigeria and in 1960 she became the first black matron of University College Hospital, Ibadan. Five years later she was appointed Chief Nursing Officer for Nigeria.
In 1965, she established a nursing school at the University of Ibadan, helping to set up a framework for modern nursing practices in Nigeria. In 1973, Kofoworola was awarded the Florence Nightingale Medal (the highest international distinction a nurse can achieve). In this year she was also invited by the military governor of Lagos to join his cabinet as Commissioner of Health. Whilst in office, she succeeded in achieving reforms for doctors, nurses and in public health 🩺 .
It is important to take the time to look back at those who dedicated their lives to improving the healthcare system and we are proud to be able to provide a space for such important training and development to continue.
