Health Workers, Nurses Rejects NMCN New Verification Policy

Nigerian nurses and other health workers have criticised the Nursing and Midwifery Council of Nigeria (NMCN) for imposing strict conditions on all applicants seeking verification of certificate(s) with foreign nursing bodies or councils.

They said the guidelines and standards is a violation of human rights, emphasising that regulatory organisations have never requested work experience or imposed years of service as a prerequisite for verification.

Nurses were accustomed to paying a verification fee of N50,000 before the imposed N300,000 announcement by NMCN which has received kickbacks by the nurses and Nigerians calling for a reverse and reform of the nursing agency.

The NMCN on Wednesday, announced a new policy for verification fees for Nursing practitioners in Nigeria.

In a memo released on 7 February, 2024, the nursing council outlined what it called the ‘Revised Guidelines and Requirements to be Met by All Applicants Seeking the Verification of Certificate(s) to Foreign Nursing Boards/Council.’

The new guidelines required nurses seeking to validate their certificates with foreign nursing boards or councils to have at least two years of post-qualification experience.

Recall that the National Assembly had earlier called for imposition on the number of nurses leaving the country.

Meanwhile, Founder of FO Legal, Festus Ogun has urged the nurses and midwives to organise themselves and challenge the absurd policy of NMCN.

“This is an attempt to achieve what the National Assembly is afraid to do, through the backdoor,” he said.

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Mayowa Durosinmi

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M. Durosinmi is a West Africa Weekly investigative reporter covering Politics, Human Rights, Health, and Security in West Africa and the Sahel Region

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