Rédaction Africa Links 24 with Ibrahim Ramalan
Published on 2024-03-20 12:33:58
Eight nurses in Nigeria have taken legal action against the Nursing and Midwifery Council of Nigeria (NMCN) and the Minister of Health over new guidelines for certificate verification. The NMCN issued a circular on February 7, revising the guidelines for nurses and midwives seeking to work abroad. According to the new rules, applicants must have two years of post-qualification experience after obtaining a permanent practicing license before seeking verification from foreign nursing boards. This effectively means they must work in Nigeria for at least two years before considering opportunities abroad, which took effect on March 1.
In response to these guidelines, nurses in Abuja and Lagos protested and demanded a reversal. Some nurses even went a step further by filing a lawsuit at the National Industrial Court in Abuja. The defendants in the suit include the Registrar of the NMCN, the Coordinating Minister of Health and Social Welfare, the Federal Ministry of Health, and the Attorney-General of the Federation.
During a court hearing, the counsel for the complainants requested an adjournment to review the preliminary objection from the defendants and prepare an appropriate response. The judge granted the adjournment until May 20 for the hearing and ordered that hearing notices be served to the Ministry of Health and the Attorney-General of the Federation.
The complaints in the suit are Desmond Aigbe, Kelvin Ossai, Catherine Olatunji-Kuyoro, Tamunoibi Berry, Osemwengie Osagie, Abiola Olaniyan, Idowu Olabode, and Olumide Olurankinse. They seek to restrain the defendants from implementing the NMCN circular and suspend the new guidelines until the suit is resolved. The nurses also request the court to mandate the NMCN to continue verifying certificates within seven days of the application.
The reliefs sought by the nurses include suspending the commencement of the revised guidelines, restraining the defendants from hindering nurses’ rights to seek career opportunities abroad, and mandating timely verification of certificates by the NMCN. The case is marked NICN/ABJ/76/2024, and the judge set the next hearing for May 20.
Overall, the legal action taken by these nurses highlights their concerns about the new guidelines and their determination to uphold their rights and professional opportunities. It remains to be seen how the court will rule on the matter and what implications it may have for the nursing and midwifery profession in Nigeria.
Read the original article on DailyNigerian.com
