Expert: Nursing Verification Guidelines Goes against Available Profession’s Regulations
A professional Nurse with over 20 years of practice, and President, Alumni Association of the School of Nursing and Midwifery, Yale, Mr. Okeke Chinedu, has condemned the Nursing Verification Guidelines recently introduced by the Nursing and Midwifery Council of Nigeria (NMCN), saying it goes against all available nursing regulations, including the Nursing and Midwifery Council of Nigeria (NMCN) Act of 1979, and the International Council of Nurses Regulations.
The House of Representatives had on Tuesday, halted the implementation of the controversial revised guidelines for verification of certificates of nursing and midwifery issued by the Nursing and Midwifery Council of Nigeria.
The resolution by the lawmakers was passed as a sequel to the adoption of a motion of urgent public importance sponsored by Hon. Patrick Umoh, who frowned at the circumstances surrounding the revised regulations.
Okeke, while speaking during an interview on a television programme, said regulatory compliance issue was why Nigerian nurses are where they are today.
According to him, “Nursing as a profession is a regulated profession, just like medical practice, physiotherapy, pharmacy, etc. This means that before you can practice in any jurisdiction as a nurse, you must meet the regulatory requirements of that jurisdiction. So this is a requirement to practice in any jurisdiction as a nurse.
“The definition of nursing by the International Council of Nurses (ICN) is professionalism encompasses the development of a nursing identity; it embraces values and integrity. Altruism, and inclusivity, this is actually according to the ICN.
“The American College of Nurses defined the profession as a body which requires a specialised body of knowledge. That being said, nursing has a well-defined body of theoretical knowledge. But if you go to the Nursing and Midwifery Law of the UK, they said Professionalism is characterised by autonomous evidence-based decision-making.
“But in the 1979 NMC Act, it is interesting to see that section 2i of the act says that one registered medical practitioner, who shall be a qualified gynecologist, and obstetrician, will serve on that membership sit for 3 years. “That means we have removed the autonomy from nursing and placed medical practitioners into membership of the board.”
According to Okeke, “Based on the definition of the ICN, NMC UK, and given that of the American College of Nurses, we are supposed to be a profession. But the Nigerian constitution and NMCN Act of 1979, have denied us nurses the right to be a profession. So we are not a profession as far as they are concerned in Nigeria.