The problem facing the Nigerian health sector could get worse as a result of the exodus of health professionals from the country.
No fewer than 42, 000 nurses have left the country in the last few months to look for better opportunity abroad, according to the Nursing and Midwifery Council of Nigeria, NMCN.
Faruk Abubakar, the registrar of the Council made this known on Tuesday in Abuja, the nation’s capital.
The revelation comes against the backdrop of apprehension among Nigerians that the sector could face a dearth of qualified professionals if not checked immediately.
In spite of this, the federal and state government appear not to be doing enough to stop the drift of professionals from the sector.
Recall that Chris Ngige, the immediate past Minister of Labour and Employment, had in his response to complaints that health workers were leaving the country in droves to Europe, US and Asia, said new doctors and other health workers would be trained to replace those that had left the country.
Not a few Nigerians consider his remark very insensitive considering that the sector had been struggling with the scarcity of professionals.
Ngige is a medical doctor.
Speaking yesterday, Farouk spoke on the heels of the protest by the National Association of Nigeria Nurses and Midwives, NANNM, against the new certification verification guidelines issued by the Council.
NMCN had issued a circular saying applicants seeking verification of certificates to foreign nursing boards and councils must have two years of qualification experience and also pay a non-refundable application fee.
But Farouk, in his response to the protest said the decision was in line with international best practices, adding that the Council also wants to ensure that new nursing graduates stay in the country.
He said: “Now if we allow every Nigerian to leave as they graduate, who is going to handle our healthcare services? Who is going to provide these services? We are Nigerians and it is our responsibility to these services.
“So, we are not against anybody travelling but Nigerians must be served and must be provided with this quality healthcare since we are producing the quality and best nurses that are working anywhere in the world.”
“Just last year, a number of nurses were found with fake documents in America and when we did a background search, about eight of them were not in our database, they hadn’t collected their verification letter or letter of good standing and they faked the documents.
“We don’t want to recall the individual because it will dent the image of the country. So we decided to strengthen the verification process before they leave and that’s what we did.”
