Posted by According to the Nursing and Midwifery Council of Nigeria (NMCN), more than 15,000 nurses and midwives departed the nation in 2023 in search of better opportunities abroad.
The Registrar of the NMCN, Faruk Abubakar, revealed this during a discussion on the controversy surrounding the updated standards for nursing credential verification on Channels Television’s Morning Brief program.
According to the twiscoloaded, nurses protested outside the NMCN headquarters in Abuja and Lagos, claiming that they were being prevented from pursuing their professional goals.
This follows a recent revision to Council guidelines indicating that applicants must have two years of post-qualification experience from the date of the permanent practicing license issue in order to verify certifications from international nursing boards and councils.
In the meantime, Abubakar said that the number of nurses departing the nation is rising annually in order to support the updated standards for nurses’ verification.
“In the last three years, 42,000 nurses have left the country.” It was more than 15,000 just last year, and the figure is rising every year,” he stated.
In response to a question on what the Council is doing to safeguard and enhance the welfare of nurses, he stated that the Federal Ministry of Health is attempting to raise the pay, benefits, and working conditions for nurses.
“To enable them deliver high-quality care to Nigerians, the FMoH and the Minister of State (for Health) are putting forth a lot of effort to create a favorable work environment and give cutting-edge tools and equipment.
And I want to reassure you that in the coming months, a lot of things that will enhance the welfare of the nurses in question will be integrated and supplied in 2024. Regarding the salary they are discussing, I think it’s a common thing and a general phenomenon.
“A lot of work is being done on the salary review, and nurses are covered by that policy as well. I believe it’s a widespread occurrence; the government is taking significant action, and all other industries are also protesting,” he said.