The Federal Government has vowed to address the recent concerns raised by Nigerian nurses concerning the new conditions for certificate verification.
Nurses stepped out on Monday to protest the new conditions issued by the council of the National Association of Nigeria Nurses and Midwives (NMCN) for certificate verification in Nigeria.
The Special Adviser to the President on Health Matters, Salma Anas-Ibrahim, made this known on Tuesday during a press briefing at the capital Abuja.
“Nurses are the faces of the health facilities, because when you enter a healthcare facility, it is the nurse or midwife that does so much for you, and they spend more time with our patients than any other person,” she said.
“So, they are very important to us and very critical in terms of nursing care and the delivery of health care, even when there are no doctors. We do recognise their contributions to healthcare development in Nigeria.
“Tinubu is committed to improving the working environment and welfare of healthcare workers in the country.
“A lot of issues are coming in from different disciplines of the hospitals, not only in the nursing profession but across the board.
“We are committed in this administration and it is part of the priorities under the human resources issues. One area we want to address in creating an enabling environment is to also address the issue of rivalry.
“We are working assiduously to address all the conflict issues and all the areas that will motivate our nurses and midwives, and all other health workers at the same time.
“We are on top of the game and we are going to resolve all the issues and ensure that we retain the nurses and midwives.”
The nurses took to the Abuja and Lagos offices of the NMCN with placards and banners to seek a change of the guidelines listed in a recent circular released last Thursday.
According to the circular, applicants seeking certificate verification to move into foreign boards and councils must have two years of experience after gaining their qualification.
Additionally, applicants are to pay a non-refundable fee per application made for verification.
“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,” the circular signed by council registrar Dr Faruk Abubakar read.
“Eligible applicants must have a minimum of two (2) years post qualification experience from the date of issuance of permanent practicing licence. Any application with provisional licence shall be rejected outrightly.”
