Nursing

The House of Representatives, on Tuesday, urged the Nursing and Midwifery Council of Nigeria not to implement its revised guidelines for issuing verification certificates to nurses and midwives in the country. Nurses and midwives, under the aegis of the National Association of Nigeria Nurses and Midwives, had expressed concern that the NMCN’s revised guidelines for certificate verification were targeted at preventing them from going abroad in search of greener pastures. They are particularly uncomfortable with the provision in the guidelines that a nurse seeking NMCN certification must have a minimum of two years post-qualification experience. They are also opposed to the requirement that a nurse applying for NMCN’s certification must obtain a letter of good standing from the Chief Executive Officer of their place of work and the last training institution attended while the processing of application shall take a minimum of six months. Wading in on Tuesday, the House of Representatives called on the council to suspend its plan to commence the implementation of the revised guidelines on March 1, 2024. The intervention by the lawmakers followed a motion of urgent public importance sponsored by the member representing Ikorodu Ekpene/Essien Udim/Obot/Akara Federal Constituency, Akwa Ibom State, Mr Patrick Umoh. Leading the debate on the general principles of the debate, Umoh acknowledged the concerns, protests, and stiff opposition of nurses to the implementation of the NMCN’s revised guidelines.