Aggrieved Nurses Sue FG .

 Nurses in the country have sued the Nursing and Midwifery Council of Nigeria, and the Minister of Health as well as others over the new certificate verification guidelines.

This is coming after the group had on February 7, 2024, issued a circular revising the guidelines for requesting verification of certificates for nurses and midwives.

The council stated, among others, 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 practicing license, while, the new guidelines came into force on March 1, 2024.

But nurses and midwives, under the aegis of the National Association of Nigeria Nurses and Midwives, expressed concern that the revised guidelines for certificate verification were targeted at preventing them from going abroad in search of greener pastures, and are particularly uncomfortable with the provision in the guidelines that a nurse seeking NMCN certification must have a minimum of two years post-qualification experience.

The nurses also opposed the requirement that, a nurse applying for NMCN’s certification must obtain a letter of good standing from the Chief Executive Officer of their place of work and the last training institution attended while the processing of application shall take a minimum of six months.

They are urging the court to restrain the defendants and their agents from implementing the NMCN circular pending the determination of the suit, and also urged the court to suspend the commencement of the new guidelines.