National Telescope national telescope newspaper
Nurses under the aegis of Naija Nurses Forum on Monday protested against the new guidelines for certificate verification as issued by the Nursing and Midwifery Council of Nigeria.
Members of the forum who cut across public and private hospitals in Lagos State, expressed displeasure over the new guidelines.
It will be recalled that the council in a memo dated February 7, 2024, issued the new guidelines which presented a new verification of certificates by nurses and midwives.
The council insisted that eligible applicants must have a minimum of two years post-qualification experience from the date of issuance of the permanent practising licence.
However, the group urges the Federal government to mandate the MNCN to reverse the new guideline and reopen the verification portal without conditions within 48 hours.
The protesting Nurses stormed the Lagos streets from Harvey Road to UNILAG Road, to Neuropsychiatrist Hospital, Yaba, while singing and carrying placards with various inscriptions.
The placards read, “We no gree for NMCN free Nigeria Nurses”, “Nurses no be slaves No to a letter of good standing from anybody”, “We are not here to fight we just want the policy withdrawn”, “Let nurses breath, say no to NMCN verification rules”.
Speaking in an interview, the coordinator of the forum, Thomas Abiodun, said, “It is unacceptable to have such a guideline. We are saying no to this and we want the government to reverse this within 48 hours. We want them to revisit these guidelines, it is wrong and wicked.”
