Monday, February 12, 2024 – The National Association of Nigeria Nurses and Midwives on Monday staged a protest in Abuja against what they described as stringent verification certification guidelines released by the Nigeria and Midwifery Council of Nigeria.
The nurses said the new rules were an attempt to hinder their freedom to pursue
career opportunities.
They urged the council to address issues
affecting their welfare including salary scale, shortage of staff, and other
rights.
The protest which took place at the headquarters of NMCN’s office located at the life camp paralysed activities there.The protesters demanded to see the registrar of the council.
Speaking on behalf of the protesters a nurse
advocate, Cynthia Adeyeri, said, “The reason we are here today is to give our
registrar Mr. Farouk a letter and to register our displeasure on the
verification rules that were released on February 7th.
“We are saying no to you, making us work for
two years in Nigeria before we can leave. No to getting a letter of good
standing from our Chief Medical Director before we can leave.
“We have poor healthcare infrastructure and
that is why people are leaving. They want to go where they have better pay.
“So increase our pay and make our system conducive.”
A circular signed by the Registrar of the council, Dr Faruk Abubakar, read, “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 practicing licence. Any application with a provisional licence shall
be rejected outright.
“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 active practising licences with a minimum of six months to the
expiration date, and processing of verification applications would take a
minimum of six months.
The implementation of the guidelines takes
effect from March 1, 2024.
While addressing the protesters, the
registrar, Abubakar, promised that the council would look into their grievances
and demands just as he appealed for calm.
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