A staggering three thousand, 0ne hundred and three, 3,173, Nigerian-trained nurses and midwives were licensed to practice in the United Kingdom in one year.
This was contained in the latest data on the Nursing and Midwifery Council register from April 1, 2023, to March 31, 2024, obtained by Saturday PUNCH. The figure represented the number of nursing and midwifery professionals that left the country under one year.
According to Saturday PUNCH, the report also showed that so far, 13,656 Nurses and Midwives educated in Nigeria were practicing in the UK.
The report noted that as of March 31, 2024, “there were a total of 826,418 nursing and midwifery professionals on NMC register.
“Of this number, 13,656 were educated in Nigeria. In the 12 months to March 31, 2024, 3,173 people who were educated in Nigeria joined our register for the first time.”
The NMC is the regulator for nursing and midwifery in the UK. It maintains a register of all Nurses, Midwives, and specialist Community Public Health Nurses and Nursing Associates eligible to practice in the UK.
According to the report, “Nigeria is one of the top non-UK countries of education as of March 2024. And the number of Nigerian nurses and midwives practicing in the UK increased by 28.3 per cent in one year.
“Other top non-UK countries of education as of March 2024, compared to last year are India (62,413), Philippines (49,092), Romania (7,378), and Ghana (5,536).
In 2023, the World Health Organization said Nigeria and 54 other countries were facing the most pressing health workforce challenges. This is in relation to universal health coverage.
“WHO said with the impact of COVID-19 and widespread disruptions to health services, health workers in the identified countries continued to seek better-paid opportunities in wealthier nations.
“The WHO said of the 55 countries, 37 are in Africa. Eight are in the Western Pacific region. Six are in the Eastern Mediterranean region, three are in Southeast Asia and one is in the Americas.
It noted that the UK Government on March 23, placed Nigeria and 53 other countries on the red list. These are countries that should not be actively targeted for recruitment by health and social care employers.
However, the NMC report stated that the number of first-time joiners across the UK continued to rise. With nearly 60,000 new nursing and midwifery professionals registering with it this year alone.
The report added that the figures were split almost equally between UK-educated joiners (30,363) and those educated internationally (29,628).
It stated, “The year-on-year growth was even higher among international joiners. Which shows an increase of more than 18 per cent compared to the previous year. Almost half (14,615) of this year’s new joiners were educated in India.”
In 2023, the National Association of Nigeria Nurses and Midwives, NANNM, said over 75,000 nurses and midwives left the country. The association stated that the number left in the last five years to seek greener pastures.
The development has worsened an ongoing shortage of health workers in Nigeria. And therefore, poses significant threats to the healthcare delivery system in the country. It has also contributed to the limited access to care for many people.
source: PUNCH
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