Nigerian nurses cry out, reject nursing council’s two-year experience for overseas practice
The Nursing and Midwifery Council of Nigeria (NMCN), on Wednesday, announced revised guidelines and requirements for individuals applying for certificate verification with foreign nursing boards/councils.
Applicants are now required by the council to have at least two years of post-qualification experience from the date of issuance of their permanent practising licence.
The revised guidelines for verification of certificates was signed by the Registrar/Secretary General of NMCN, Dr. Faruk Abubakar, and posted on the council’s X page on Wednesday.
It read, “Applicants are to visit https://licence.nmcn.gov.ng/ and login to initiate verification application by clicking on the verification application link.
“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 permanent practising licence. Any application with provisional licence shall be rejected outrightly.
“The council shall request a letter of good standing from the Chief Executive Officer of 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, Nursing and Midwifery Council of Nigeria. Please note that council shall not accept such letter(s) through the applicant.”
In addition to the mentioned requirements, NMCN now mandates that applicants possess an active practising licence that is valid for at least six more months.
However, the revised guidelines have sparked a wave of anger on social media.
Nurses and health workers have condemned it as a clear infringement on basic human rights.
The uproar among Nigerian nurses underscores the significance of transparent and fair regulatory practices in the healthcare sector.
See some reactions below;
Sir Dickson wrote, “This is absolutely ridiculous @Nigeria_NMC There is no where in the world that this is done. You’re deliberately frustrating the nurses under your body. On what basis are you demanding two years work experience before they can verify their certificates? Why is verification taking minimum of six months? Six months!! What are you verifying?
“The @NigeriaGov needs to intervene in this witchcraft.”
detola wrote, ” You’re a shameless body. @Nigeria_NMC, your nurses are barely feeding with the meagre salary they are collecting. You are not actively challenging that neither are you countering quackery but you’re flexing muscles on nurses seeking career progression.”
@Ademidamolla expressed concern over the extended processing time, questioning the necessity of post-qualification experience for verification.
@tana_lifted highlighted the impracticality of requiring a doctor’s endorsement for nurses seeking verification, especially for those intending to relocate.
@Nursebassey emphasized that nurses should not bear the brunt of the country’s economic challenges, as they are not government-sponsored or trained.
@DTechNurse criticized the association of verification conditions with medical doctors, calling for reversing the requirement for a doctor’s approval for career advancement.
@AlongeElijah denounced the regulations as “stupid” and announced plans to notify international nursing bodies and human rights organizations, pledging to rally at the NMCN office in Abuja.
