The suspension of license verification services by the Nursing and Midwifery Council of Nigeria (NMCN) has led to the rejection of Nigerian nurses’ applications to work overseas.
The leadership of the NMCN, closed the portal and this has brought the verification process for new nurses to a grinding halt, leaving many in limbo.
The NMCN portal is a critical platform for nurses practising in Nigeria to get registered and be verified as qualified medical practitioners.
The issue started on December 22, 2023 when the Registrar of NMCN ordered the immediate closure of the portal without providing any justification.
The Nigerian Nursing Council’s online portal was reopened on February 7, 2024, following widespread outrage from affected nurses and intervention by the Ministry of Health.
However, the continued closure of the portal has now led to the rejection of Nigerian nurses who applied to work overseas – particularly in the United States and Canada.
Reacting to development, the Nigerian Medical Association expressed regret over the situation, stating that numerous Nigerian applicants have been turned down worldwide due to the portal’s closure.
The association criticised the House of Representatives directive to the NMCN to indefinitely suspend license verification services, citing the severe consequences for Nigerian nurses.
They emphasised that this decision effectively prevents Nigerian nurses from practising abroad, likening it to a form of “mass kidnapping” that confines nurses to the country against their will.
In a statement shared on it official X handle on Monday, the doctors described it as an “unprecedented infringement of Nurses’ fundamental human rights”…
Reports have it that the Texas Board of Nursing Nurse Portal in a reply letter to Nigerian applicant, titled, RE: Exams (NCLEX) & Authorizations to Test (ATTs), dated August 15, 2024, the board said that the Nigeria NMC has notified them that they have stopped sending verifications indefinitely.
The letter partly read: “Until further notice, the Texas Board of Nursing has halted the application process for all Nigerian applicants whose Verification of Licensure from the Nigeria NMC is missing or expired.
“The Nigeria NMC has notified us that they have stopped sending verifications indefinitely. The Board of Nursing requires that Nigerian applicants have a current, unexpired verification of licensure from Nigeria NMC on file in order to move forward with their application for licensure.
“There is no waiver for the Nigerian verification, nor is there any alternative to having the verification sent to us. The Board hopes to inform all applicants when this situation changes. While the Board is sympathetic to any inconvenience or frustration related to our requirements for licensure verification, Board staff must take the requisite care and time to adequately review each submission for the BON to fulfill its mission of protection and promotion of the welfare of the people of Texas,” the letter addressed to a Nigerian applicant reads.
Also like other Nigerian applicants in other jurisdictions, the College of Registered Nurses of Newfoundland and Labrador also rejected application of Nigerian applicant on the closure of account verifications.
Electronic communication to a Nigerian applicant Nigerian Doctors shared on X handle, read: “We cannot log in to your account to verify licensure. We understand that NMC Nigeria is not issuing verifications at present.
“We do require a verification of registration in order to assess your application, so we will hold your application until this process resumes and you are able to obtain your verification from NMC Nigeria.”
Source: SaharaRepor
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