Tensions are escalating among the National Association of Nigeria Nurses and Midwives (NANNM) members due to contentious new certificate verification guidelines set by the Nursing and Midwifery Council of Nigeria (NMCN). Earlier this week, nurses and midwives voiced their frustrations after discovering the NMCN verification portal had been deactivated since December 2023.
Nurses interviewed by our correspondent linked the portal’s deactivation to an attempt by the council, possibly under government influence, to restrict their ability to seek employment opportunities abroad, aiming to curb the brain drain in the healthcare sector.
The NMCN, a statutory body responsible for regulating nursing and midwifery standards in Nigeria, has revised its certificate verification guidelines. This revision mandates a minimum of two years of post-qualification experience and specifies a refundable fee for verification, covering courier services for documents. These guidelines, effective from March 1, 2024, have been met with opposition from nurses, who see them as an infringement on their rights and a demeaning move for the profession.
Over 75,000 nurses and midwives have migrated from Nigeria in the past five years due to inadequate wages and working conditions, exacerbating the existing healthcare worker shortage. The mass departure has led to increased workloads for remaining nurses without fair compensation, impacting healthcare quality.
The new verification guidelines, requiring a minimum of two years post-qualification experience and detailing specific application processes, have intensified dissatisfaction within the nursing community. Nurses in Lagos and Abuja are organizing protests against these measures, viewing them as violations of their rights and detrimental to their professional dignity.