Certificate Verification: Nigerian nurses reiterate demands, as Reps halt new process

The National Association of Nigeria Nurses and Midwives (NANNM) has called on the government to implement the upward review of nurses’ salaries to “effectively address the issue of brain drain.”

The association also highlighted 11 other demands in a press release signed by its National President, Michael Nnachi, in reaction to the revised guidelines for the verification of certificates with the Nursing and Midwifery Council of Nigeria (NMCN).

NMCN in its revised guidelines states that applicants seeking verification of certificates from foreign nursing boards and councils must possess two years of post-qualification experience from the date of issuance of the permanent practising licence.

While Mr Nnachi revealed in the statement that the NMCN has agreed to review all issues raised, the House of Representatives has also intervened in the matter.

Lawmakers’ resolution

The lawmakers at a plenary, on Tuesday, called on the nursing council to suspend its plan to commence the implementation of the revised guidelines on 1 March.

The intervention by the lawmakers followed a motion of urgent public importance sponsored by a member, representing Ikot Ekpene/Essien Udim/Obot Akara Federal Constituency, Akwa Ibom State, Patrick Umoh.

Mr Umoh said the requirement for two years of post-qualification experience before verification of the certificate by NMCN was unreasonable, arbitrary, and unfair.

Adopting the motion, the House urged NMCN not to implement the revised guidelines pending its investigation.

The House mandated its committees on health institutions and legislative compliance to ensure compliance with the resolution, and also investigate the controversies surrounding the revised guidelines.

The circular by NMCN generated unprecedented and unrestricted reactions from the majority of nurses, as they converged on the NMCN’s office in Abuja and other government institutions in Lagos on 12 February to express their dissatisfaction. The protesters also threatened a nationwide strike.

The nurses described the new guidelines as an effort to impede their freedom, saying the requirement for a letter from the Chief Executive Officer of the respective places of work is “a deliberate attempt to make the verification process burdensome.”

NANNM demands

The association asked the government to approve the creation of a special separate salary package called “Enhanced Nurses Salary Structure (ENSS)” as a motivation to the nurses and midwives to reduce migration.

They also demanded dedication of 15 per cent of the national budget to the health sector as recommended by the Abuja Declaration 2020, and insisted on the payment of 25 per cent CONHESS adjustment to nurses and midwives working at the three tiers of government.

It asked the federal government to extend and include the appointment of nurses into key positions as well as members of federal boards “to address extreme marginalisation in the governance structure of the health facilities in Nigeria.”

Other demands include the extension of the retirement age of nurses from 60 to 65 years to improve on available workforce, employment by replacement and appointment of nurses into key positions as well as members of Federal Boards.

Brain Drain in Nigeria

Nigeria has been battling with the increasing exodus of healthcare professionals, especially doctors, pharmacists, and nurses, to developed countries.

With a doctor-patient ratio over five times worse than the WHO recommendation, Nigeria has continued to lose hundreds of doctors annually to brain drain.

Various statistics show that over 5,000 Nigerian medical doctors have migrated to the UK between 2015 and 2022.

According to data documented by the Development Research and Project Centre (dRPC), 233 Nigerian doctors moved to the UK in 2015; the number increased to 279 in 2016; in 2017 the figure was 475, in 2018, the figure rose to 852, in 2019 it jumped to 1,347; in 2020, the figure was 833 and in 2021, it was put at 932.

As of July, the President of the Nigerian Association of Resident Doctors (NARD), Emeka Orji, revealed that the association is left with only a few over 9,000 medical doctors, due to the brain drain crisis in the healthcare system.

The continued emigration of health practitioners has led to a shortage of skilled health workers in the country, which has negatively affected the quality of healthcare services provided to the citizens.