Nigerian Nurses Up in Arms Over New Regulations by Nursing Council

• Nurses strongly oppose new regulations by Nursing and Midwifery Council, requiring two years of post-qualification experience for certificate verification
• The regulations, outlined in a memo by the NMCN CEO, mandate specific criteria for verification, sparking widespread discontent among healthcare workers

Health workers in Nigeria, particularly nurses, have strongly opposed the recently introduced regulations by the Nursing and Midwifery Council of Nigeria (NMCN).

The new rules mandate that individuals seeking to verify their certificates with overseas nursing boards or councils must possess at least two years of post-qualification experience.

Issued in a February 7, 2024 memo, the council outlined the updated criteria, which Dr. Faruk Umar Abubakar, the NMCN Chief Executive Officer and registrar, signed.

According to the memo, applicants must hold a permanent practising license for at least two years from the date of issuance, and applications with provisional licenses will be rejected outright. Additionally, active practising licenses with a minimum of six months until expiration are required, with only Certificates of Registration being acceptable for upload.

Moreover, the processing time for verification applications is stated to take at least six months, with incomplete documentation not being processed.

However, many nurses and healthcare professionals perceive these requirements as a breach of human rights, asserting that previous verification processes did not demand years of experience or service.

Social media platforms have been flooded with reactions from medical professionals expressing frustration and disbelief at the new regulations.

@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.

The uproar among Nigerian nurses underscores the significance of transparent and fair regulatory practices in the healthcare sector.