Eight nurses have dragged the Nursing and Midwifery Council of Nigeria, NMCN, and the Minister of Well being to the Nationwide Industrial Courtroom, Abuja, over a brand new round stipulating new certificates verification pointers for nurses.
The Information Company of Nigeria, NAN experiences that the NMCN had on Feb. 7, 2024, issued a round revising the rules for requesting verification of certificates for nurses and midwives wishing to go overseas to hunt higher work alternatives.
The Council said that candidates looking for verification of certificates from international nursing boards and councils should possess two years of post-qualification expertise from the date of issuance of the everlasting working towards license.
This implies they have to work within the nation for no less than two years earlier than looking for greener pastures overseas.
The brand new pointers got here into power on March 1, 2024.
Miffed by this, nurses in Abuja, Lagos and different elements of the nation protested, demanding the reversal of the brand new pointers.
A number of the nurses have taken a step additional by submitting a go well with on the Nationwide Business Courtroom, Abuja.
Listed as defendants within the fits are the Eegistrar, Nursing and Midwifery Council Nigeria, the Nursing and Midwifery Council of Nigeria, Coordinating Minister of Well being and Social Welfare, Federal Ministry of Well being and the Legal professional-Normal of the Federation.
When the matter was known as on Wednesday, counsel to the complaints, Mr Ode Evans, instructed the courtroom that he had simply acquired the preliminary objection filed by the primary and second defendants in courtroom.
Evans prayed the courtroom for an adjournment to allow him peruse the processes with a purpose to give an acceptable response.
“I affirm the receipt of the applying of the primary and second defendants this morning, we will be asking for a date to allow us to file our responses.”
Following no objection from the defendants, the choose, Justice Osatohanmwen Obaseki-Osaghae, adjourned the matter untill Could 20 for listening to.
The choose ordered that listening to notices be served on the Ministry of Well being and the Legal professional-Normal of the Federation who had no authorized illustration in courtroom.
The Information Company of Nigeria, NAN, experiences that the complaints within the go well with marked: NICN/ABJ/ 76/2024, are Desmond Aigbe, Kelvin Ossai, Catherine Olatunji-Kuyoro, Tamunoibi Berry, Osemwengie Osagie, Abiola Olaniyan, Idowu Olabode and Olumide Olurankinse.
They’re urging the courtroom to restrain the defendants or their brokers from implementing the NMCN round pending the dedication of the go well with.
The nurses are additionally praying the courtroom to droop the graduation of the brand new pointers.
A number of the reliefs sought by the plaintiffs are, “An interlocutory order suspending the graduation of the “Revised Pointers for Verification of Certificates with the Nursing and Midwifery Council of Nigeria” earlier proposed to take impact from March 7 as indicated on the NMCN ‘s round pending the listening to and dedication of the go well with.
“An interlocutory order restraining the defendants, their companions, parastatals, topics, counterparts. brokers, servants, privies, assigns, or whoever, appearing for with or on behalf of the defendants from taking any additional step that will hinder, limit, or infringe on the constitutional rights and freedom of nurses and midwives in Nigeria from emigrating to a different nation to hunt higher profession alternatives and coaching overseas.
“An interlocutory order of the courtroom mandating the Registrar and NMCN to proceed to hold out verification of certificates or any paperwork requested by the candidates, different intending colleagues, and different members of the nursing and midwifery occupation inside seven days from the date of such software pending the listening to and dedication of the go well with.”
