House Calls For Suspension Of New Nurses/Midwives Guidelines

Nigeria’s House of Representatives has urged the Nursing and Midwifery Council of Nigeria, NMCN to halt the implementation of the revised guidelines for the verification of nursing certificates issued by the council, pending the outcome of investigation into  controversy surrounding the new policy.

The House also mandated its Committees on Health Institutions and Legislative Compliance to ensure compliance with the resolution.

It also charged the joint panel to  probe the controversy trailing the NMCN new guidelines.

The panel is expected to report back to the House within four weeks for further legislative actions.

This followed the adoption of  a motion of Urgent National Importance moved  by  Patrick Umoh to stop the implementation of the new guidelines for the verification of certificates of nurses and midwives in the country.

While leading the debate on the motion, Umoh explained that the NMCN, which is saddled with the regulation and control of the nursing and midwifery profession in Nigeria, recently issued a new guidelines for verification of the certificates of nurses and midwives.

The lawmaker stated that the guidelines, which is scheduled to commence on March 1, has been trailed by controversy.

“The Revised Guidelines, among others, stipulates that applicants for verification must have a minimum of two years post qualification experience from the date of issuance of permanent practice licence,”  he said.

The applicants, he stated, are also required to “obtain a letter of good standing from the Chief Executive Officer of applicant’s place of work and the last training institution attended, and that processing of application shall take a minimum of six months. “

Umoh expressed concerns that there have been “protest and stiff opposition to the implementation of the Revised Guidelines by health professionals led by the National Association of Nigeria Nurses and Midwives.”

He argued that since the verification of the certificates is to authentic an already existing certificate issued by the council,  the two years  post-qualification experience ” is unreasonable, arbitrary and unfair”.

Umoh stated that ” it may, among other things, restrict the freedom of nurses seeking education or additional skills and training in foreign universities. “

He noted that the new guidelines was tantamount to a usurpation of the power of the National Assembly, which is empowered to make laws for the country.

” Worried that the requirement that applicants for verification must obtain a letter of good standing from the Chief Executive Officer of applicant’s place of work is capable of creating forced labour and modern slavery as applicant will be forced to be subject to the whims and caprices of applicant’s employer, “ the motion said.

Confidence Okwuchi