The Nigeria and Midwifery Council of Nigeria has said that the new certificate verification guideline for nurses is in the best interest of the country.
The assertion comes after Nurses under the aegis of the National Association of Nigeria Nurses and Midwives, Abuja chapter, on Monday, February 12 protested against the new verification certification guidelines released by the Nigeria and Midwifery Council of Nigeria.
The NMCN is the only legal, administrative, corporate and statutory body mandated by law to regulate the standards of Nursing and Midwifery education and practice in Nigeria and to review such standards from time to time to meet the changing health needs of the society.
The nurses expressed displeasure saying the move will hinder their freedom to pursue career opportunities, as nurses’ welfare, salary scale, shortage of staff, has not been addressed.
The NMCN had on February 7, 2024, issued a circular revising the guidelines for requesting verification of certificates for nurses and midwives.
The council’s circular came after the deactivation of the verification portal on NMCN’s website in December 2023.
The circular signed by the Registrar of the council, Dr Faruk Abubakar, read in part, “A non-refundable fee per application shall be paid for verification to foreign boards of nursing as specified on the portal. This shall cover the cost of courier services to the applicant’s institution(s) of training, place of work, and foreign board.
“Eligible applicants must have a minimum of two years post qualification experience from the date of issuance of the permanent practising licence. Any application with a provisional licence shall be rejected outright.
“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 institution attended and responses on these shall be addressed directly to the Registrar/CEO, NMCN. Please note that the council shall not accept such letter(s) through the applicant.”
The council also stated that applicants must have active practising licences with a minimum of six months to the expiration date, and processing of verification applications would take a minimum of six months.
The implementation of the guidelines takes effect from March 1, 2024, the council added.
