Peter Obi demands that policies impeding nurses’ verifications be reversed

The Nursing and Midwifery Council of Nigeria, or NMCN, has been urged by Mr. Peter Obi of the Labour Party to reevaluate the strict measures that are impeding nurses’ ability to verify their immigration status.

The presidential candidate of the Labour Party stated that it is imperative for the good of the country to fund additional healthcare professional training facilities and to encourage nurses’ access to international prospects.

Obi’s plea came after the NMCN recently revised its criteria for asking international nursing boards or councils to verify the credentials of nurses and midwives.

The updated criteria stipulate that, in addition to other requirements, candidates must have two years of qualifying experience and pay a non-refundable application fee in order to request verification of credentials to international nursing boards and councils.

According to Furucinovel, the trend coincides with a widespread exodus of medical personnel to other nations, particularly physicians, pharmacists, and nurses.

This is despite the fact that the NMCN reported on Tuesday that more than 42,000 nurses have left the nation in search of better opportunities overseas within the past three years.

Nurses and other medical professionals, on the other hand, have protested the new policy, claiming that its standards and recommendations amount to a violation of human rights.

On Monday in Abuja, the nurses demonstrated against the policy under the banner of the National Association of Nigerian Nurses and Midwives, or NANNM.

To the benefit of Nigerian nurses and the country, Obi is now pleading with the NMCN to undo those actions, as he stated in a post on his X Twitter on Wednesday.

He claims that opening up chances for nurses around the world not only exposes them to other cultures, but also results in significant foreign remittances.

“I used this chance to make a request that the Nursing and Midwifery Council of Nigeria (NMCN) reevaluate their strict policies that are impeding the ability of nurses to verify their immigration status. For the interest of our country, additional funding for healthcare professional training programs and support for their international chances are imperative. Encouraging our nurses to pursue worldwide possibilities exposes them to other cultures and results in significant foreign remittances that exceed our oil revenue.

For the sake of Nigerian nurses and our country overall, I urge the NMCN to immediately reverse these actions, Obi said on social media.