In response to a recent certification guidelines issued by the Nursing and Midwifery Council of Nigeria (NMCN), Nurses under the aegis of the National Association of Nigeria Nurses and Midwives (NANNM), Abuja chapter have trooped out en masse to stage a protest expressing their dissatisfaction.
At the protest held on Monday, February 12, 2024, in Abuja, the aggrieved nurses
labelled the new guidelines as an effort to impede their freedom to pursue career opportunities.
TheFact Daily gathered that NMCN, in its revised guidelines released on Tuesday, February 6, 2024, stated that applicants seeking verification of certificates from foreign nursing boards and councils must possess two years of post-qualification experience from the date of issuance of the permanent practicing licence.
The circular signed by its Registrar, Faruk Abubakar read in part, “A non-refundable fee per application shall be paid for verification to foreign boards of nursing as specified on the portal. This shall cover the cost of courier services to the applicant’s institution(s) of training, place of work, and foreign board.
“Eligible applicants must have a minimum of two years post qualification experience from the date of issuance of the permanent practicing licence. Any application with a provisional licence shall be rejected outrightly.
“The council shall request a letter of good standing from the Chief Executive Officer of the applicant’s place(s) of work and the last nursing training institution attended and responses on these shall be addressed directly to the Registrar/CEO, NMCN. Please note that the council shall not accept such letter(s) through the applicant.”
The council also stated that applicants must have an active practicing licence with a minimum of six months to the expiration date, and processing of verification application takes a minimum of six months.
It added that the implementation of the guidelines takes effect from 1 March 2024.
At the protest, the nurses and midwives were at the NMCN office singing and carrying placards around the premises peacefully.
Some of the placards read, “Address unemployment among nurses, address quackery, address nurses welfare.
“#No to verification rules. Stop frustrating the Nigerian nurses, we are going through a lot already, Protect nurses, protect healthcare,.NMCN, we say no to the verification rules, NMCN, don’t reduce nurses.”
In a similar development, the NANNM, Lagos State Chapter, also called for the immediate reversal and withdrawal of the new circular on certificate verification by the NMCN.
