Nurses under the aegis of the National Association of Nigeria Nurses and Midwives (NANNM) yesterday took to the streets of Abuja to protest against the new verification guidelines by the Nursing and Midwifery Council of Nigeria (NMCN).
The circular released by the NMCN on February 7th, signed by the Registrar of the council, Dr Faruk Abubakar, outlines revised guidelines for requesting certificate verification for nurses seeking employment abroad. The new rules mandate a minimum of two years post-qualification experience, a letter of good standing from the applicant’s employer and training institution, and a processing time of at least six months.
The aggrieved nurses, who stormed the NMCN headquarters on Monday, however accused the council of stifling their career and aspirations with the “stringent and unnecessary” regulation, carrying placards with inscriptions such as “No to verification rules!” and “Address nurses’ welfare.”
But the Registrar in a television interview said the new guideline is in line with international best practices, adding that so many nurses in the country have left in the past few years.
“Let me make it clear today, in the last three years over 42,000 nurses left this country and the country needs them,” he said.
“Government policies especially the present ‘Renew Hope Agenda,’ a lot of policies are coming onboard, the Federal Ministry of Health came up with so many policies where Nigerian healthcare system will be improved.”
He maintained: “Now if we allow every Nigerian to leave as they are graduates, who are going to handle our healthcare services? Who is going to provide these services? We are Nigerians and it is our responsibility to these services.
“So we are not against anybody travelling but Nigerians must be served and must be provided with this quality healthcare since we are producing the quality and best nurses that are working anywhere in the world.”