Nursing council inducts 144 foreign trained nurses

The Nursing and Midwifery Council of Nigeria has inducted 144 graduates of nursing science of foreign universities. The inductees had completed a six month adaptation programme in Nigerian universities and passed professional examination for general nursing conducted in November 2019. Speaking during the induction ceremony at the council’s headquatres in Abuja,  Registrar of the council, […]

The Nursing and Midwifery Council of Nigeria has inducted 144 graduates of nursing science of foreign universities.

The inductees had completed a six month adaptation programme in Nigerian universities and passed professional examination for general nursing conducted in November 2019.

Speaking during the induction ceremony at the council’s headquatres in Abuja,  Registrar of the council, Alhaji Faruk Umar Abubakar said 317 foreign trained nurses participated in the professional examination  but only 144 were successful and inducted.

He said the inductees were graduates of Bachelor of Nursing Science programmes from universities in 18 countries. The countries are Egypt, Gambia, Georgia, Ghana, India, Jamaica, Jordan, Kenya, Malaysia, Namibia, Niger, Philippines ,

Sri -Lanka ,Sudan ,Turkey ,United Arab Emirates (UAE), Uganda and Ukraine.

Alhaji Faruk said the inductees had added to the country’s human resources for health thus reducing the enormous challenges of the shortage of nurses in Nigeria. “Presently we have over 350,000 registered nurses and midwives but only 124,000 are active in practice which is greatly inadequate in meeting the health challenges in our country.”

The registrar said that the council produced an average of 14,000 professional nurses annually and that it was committed to tripling the number in the next three years.

He enjoined the inductees to be competent nurses, adding that it was only competent nurses that could identify patients’ needs and provide quality care for patients and consumers of healthcare.

“A great nurse should maintain high standard of professionalism in approach to work, diligent to work, good communication skills, effective interpersonal skills, attentiveness, quick problem solving abilities, promptness in responding to patients, empathic disposition, energetic and friendliness. These qualities with knowledge of professional code of practice will help you to keep within your scope of practice. Practice in line with the best available evidence.”

He enjoined the foreign trained nurses to be willing to learn and yield to the counsel of experienced colleagues already working in the clinical area.

He said the board of the council has approved the training of 50,000 community midwives in the next five years across the country to work at primary health centers in the 774 local government council in Nigeria.

Board chairman of the council,  Dr. Abosede Bola Ofi enjoined the inductees to adhere to the ethics of the profession, and avoid all forms of misconduct.

Director Nursing Services of the Federal Ministry of Health, Mrs Veronica Okolo said the year 2020 has been declared the International Year of the Nurses and Midwife. She urged the graduands to join efforts with the country to achieve Universal Health coverage (UHC) and the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).

Highlights of the event was the presentation of awards to the best performing inductee for the November 2019 professional examination of foreign trained nurses,  Basirat Yusuf Adejoke , and the best performing University for the professional examination,  University of Port-Harcourt.

Basirat Yusuf Adejoke, who studied nursing  in Sudan, and did her adaption progamme at the University of Ilorin,  thanked the council for the induction and promised that the inductees would do  their best to maintain best professional practice, and also promote the good name of the council at all times.

She called on government at all levels for increased budgetary allocation to the health sector to  ensure provision of requisite equipment , research and quality service delivery as obtained in other climes.

Aminu Aliyu,  studied at the Maryam Abacha American University of Niger, Niger  Republic. He said he went out of the country to study because there were lots of challenges studying nursing in Nigeria. He said for instance  students were not admitted to study nursing in the country even when they pass Jamb and university examinations .

He said there was a lot of corruption in Nigerian universities that he didn’t encounter  such when he travelled out to study.   He promised to work in a Nigerian hospital with full dedication and commitment to duty.

Charles Nnodi who studied nursing in the University of  Georgia, Eastern Europe, said there was need for Nigeria to adopt the use of Information Communication Technology(ICT ) in nursing education in the country.

He said he would combine his international and local experiences to give patients the best.

Hadiza Magaji Bakwori who studied at Nile College University, Sudan, said she would assist indigent patients and those who cannot fully fund healthcare services provided for them.