NIgerian nurses are currently agitated over the new circular by the Nursing and Midwifery Council of Nigeria, NMCN, which revised the guidelines for requesting verification of certificates for nurses and midwives to foreign nursing boards or councils.
They are demanding a review of the circular’s contents to avoid a situation where nurses’ progress and development are subjected to other professionals’ determination.
The development is coming amid poor healthcare infrastructure, funding, welfare, and working conditions in the health sector.
Reports has it that the revised guidelines for requesting verification of certificates for nurses and midwives come amid the mass exodus of healthcare professionals, especially doctors, pharmacists, and nurses, which has been a burning issue in the country.
Recently, brain drain has become a serious challenge in Nigeria’s health sector, with the nation losing healthcare workers in droves to other countries.
This imminent crisis has overwhelmed government authorities, with no plan to tackle it wholesomely.
It was also reported that the NMCN on Tuesday disclosed that over 42,000 nurses have left the country in the last three years to seek greener pastures in foreign countries. According to the council, over 15,000 nurses left Nigeria in 2023 alone.
Recall that earlier last year, the MDCAN disclosed that more than 100 members left the country within 24 months.
In addition, health officials say at least 5,600 Nigerian medical doctors have migrated to the United Kingdom (UK) in the last eight years.
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Daily Post Nigeria
Daily Post Nigeria
NEWSJapa: Nigerian nurses, NMCN bicker over new verification policyPublished on February 14, 2024By Francis Ugwu
NIgerian nurses are currently agitated over the new circular by the Nursing and Midwifery Council of Nigeria, NMCN, which revised the guidelines for requesting verification of certificates for nurses and midwives to foreign nursing boards or councils.
They are demanding a review of the circular’s contents to avoid a situation where nurses’ progress and development are subjected to other professionals’ determination.
The development is coming amid poor healthcare infrastructure, funding, welfare, and working conditions in the health sector.
DAILY POST reports that the revised guidelines for requesting verification of certificates for nurses and midwives come amid the mass exodus of healthcare professionals, especially doctors, pharmacists, and nurses, which has been a burning issue in the country.
Recently, brain drain has become a serious challenge in Nigeria’s health sector, with the nation losing healthcare workers in droves to other countries.
This imminent crisis has overwhelmed government authorities, with no plan to tackle it wholesomely.
DAILY POST reports that the NMCN on Tuesday disclosed that over 42,000 nurses have left the country in the last three years to seek greener pastures in foreign countries. According to the council, over 15,000 nurses left Nigeria in 2023 alone.
Recall that earlier last year, the MDCAN disclosed that more than 100 members left the country within 24 months.
In addition, health officials say at least 5,600 Nigerian medical doctors have migrated to the United Kingdom (UK) in the last eight years.
Though complex and multifaceted, some factors, including low salaries, poor working conditions, lack of career opportunities, inadequate resources and infrastructure, political instability, and insecurity, have been attributed as the underlying causes.
Many have also blamed poor health sector funding as one of the reasons professionals are leaving the country, noting that the Nigerian government allocated less than five per cent of its annual budget to the health sector.
Seemingly worried by the imminent threat of brain drain in the nation’s health sector, the NMCN introduced revised guidelines for verifying nursing certificates to address the crisis.