Nurses, under the aegis of the National Association of Nigeria Nurses and Midwives (NANNM), Abuja chapter, have protested against the recently issued verification of certification guidelines by the Nursing and Midwifery Council of Nigeria (NMCN), alleging that it was meant to kill their training and career opportunities abroad.
The nurses and midwives, who gathered at the NMCN office, chanted songs and displayed placards with different inscriptions, describing the new guidelines as an infringement on their freedom to pursue career opportunities.
Some of the placards read: #No to verification rules”, “Stop frustrating Nigerian nurses”, “We are going through a lot already, Protect nurses, protect healthcare,.NMCN”, “We say no to verification rules”, “NMCN, don’t reduce nurses”, among others.
They expressed dissatisfaction and described the exercise as an effort to impede their freedom to pursue career opportunities. They urged the council to address concerns such as nurses’ welfare, salary scale, staff shortage, and other rights.
Recall that the NMCN, in its revised guidelines released on Tuesday night, 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 practising 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 practising 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 practising licence with a minimum of six months to the expiration date, and processing of verification application takes a minimum of six months.
Addressing the protesting nurses, the Abubakar, who noted that no one was against nurses and midwives travelling out of the country, assured them that the council would take a holistical look at the document and address their concerns as soon as possible.”
He said: “We have listened to you and we are going to address it in a short time, in a couple of days. I have listened to you and I have heard you. I want to acknowledge the way you are mobilised and I want to assure you that your documents will be looked at holistically and I will address every issue.”
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