•Shut down NMCN hqtrs in Abuja, cause traffic gridlock in Lagos
From Fred Ezeh, Abuja
Aggrieved nurses under the umbrella of Nurses Reform Initiative (NRI), yesterday, temporarily shut down the headquarters of the Nursing and Midwifery Council of Nigeria (NMCN) located at Life Camp, Abuja, over what they described as unfair treatment from the Council.
In Lagos, the protesting nurses adorned in their scrubs and wielding placards and banners, listing their demands also disrupted the flow of traffic in the Yaba area.
The aggrieved nurses said the protest was to register their discontent and rejection of the recently released revised guidelines for verification of nurses’ certificates and other rules of engagements for the nurses.
In a circular on Thursday, the NMCN announced that applicants seeking the verification of certificates to foreign nursing boards and councils must possess two years post qualification experience.
The council also said applicants are required to pay a non-refundable fee per application, for verification to foreign boards of nursing as specified on the council’s portal.
“Eligible applicants must have a minimum of two years post qualification experience from the date of issuance of permanent practising license. Any application with provisional license shall be rejected outrightly,” the circular read.
“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 institutions 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.”
The protesting nurses arrived at the Abuja NMCN headquarters at about 9am bearing placards with several inscriptions, like “Don’t clip our wings, let us soar,” “Nurses are essential, let us thrive,” and “Say no to NMCN new verification rule,” among others.
The protesting nurses said they were seriously concerned by the recent development, hence, the decision to embark on the peaceful protest to register their concerns, and demand withdrawal or review of the guidelines.
“This new guideline is choking and should be withdrawn. Similar protests have taken place in some other states of the federation, and might continue if something urgent is not done to review the ‘choking’ guidelines.”
Part of the letter read: “We, the undersigned, write on behalf of the Nigerian Nurses Reform Initiative, a non-profit organisation with the primary objective of protecting the interest and well-being of nurses in Nigeria, expressing dismay and grave concerns regarding recent developments within the Nursing and Midwifery Council of Nigeria (NMCN) and its impact on the nursing profession in our country.
“You will recall that on February 7, 2024, the Nursing and Midwifery Council of Nigeria under your leadership issued revised guidelines for verification of certificate(s) with the Nursing and Midwifery Council of Nigeria (NMCN).
“While we commend the efforts made by the NMCN board, including yourself, in instituting reforms aimed at enhancing the nursing profession and improving the overall image of nurses in Nigeria, the said revised guidelines, however, appeared extremely stringent for the nurses.”
The NMCN Registrar, Dr. Faruk Umar Abubakar, who signed the memo for the review of the certificate verification guidelines received the letter of protest and assured them that necessary actions would be taken as soon as possible to resolve identified grey areas as raised by the affected Nurses.
“We have listened to you and we are going to address your plight in a couple of days,” Abubakar said.
He also assured the protesting nurses that the letter they submitted to his office would be looked at holistically and every issue addressed.
“Nigeria is our only country, we don’t have any other country apart from Nigeria. Nobody is against you travelling, and whatever policy that is coming on board is for the best interest of Nigerians. You have written your complaints and we will look at them one by one and get back to you, go back to your respective places of work, and I assure you that in a couple of days, we will respond,” he said.