1,670 Nigerian-trained nurses have been allowed to practice in the United Kingdom within six months, PUNCH reports on Sunday.
This is according to the latest report from the Nursing and Midwifery Council. The report is based on the number of professionals in its NMC registration from 1 April 2022 to September.
The NMC is the UK nursing and midwifery professions regulator. It maintains a register of all nurses, midwives, professional public health workers and nurses licensed to practice in the UK. I’m here.
There is a severe case of brain drain among health workers in Nigeria. This is largely due to low wages, poor working conditions, heavy workloads and precarious conditions.
Experts also warn that the country’s healthcare system could collapse if urgent measures were not taken.
According to the NMC, 771,445 nursing and midwifery professionals were on its register as of 30 September 2022.
“Of this number, 8,891 were educated in Nigeria. And in the six months to 30 September 2022; 1,670 people who were educated in Nigeria joined our register for the first time,” the NMC said.
Also, between April 2021 and March 2022, a total of 23,444 people who trained outside the UK joined the NMC register for the first time. This is 13,482 more than the number who joined the previous year.
The report added;
, “The number of nurses and midwives who trained in Nigeria joining the UK register for the first time during the period under review was 3,010. Of these, 2,998 were nurses and 12 were midwives.”
Furthermore, it was observed in the report that Nigeria was ranked third with the highest number of nurses and midwives registered after India with a total of 9,769 and the Philippines with a total of 5,763.
The data shows a steady number of monthly joiners from outside the UK, with more than 2,000 internationally trained joiners each month.
cc: Punch Ng
