UK’s gain, Nigeria’s pain as nurses migration hits 9-years high

More Nigerian-trained nurses are passing their professional exams in Nigeria but submitting the results abroad.

A recent report from the Nurses and Midwifery Council (NMC) in the UK reveals that up to 13,656 Nigerian-trained nurses were registered in the 12 months ending March 2024, a 28 percent rise from the same period in 2023 when 10,639 Nigerians were recorded.

The figure reflects the UK’s highest pull of Nigerian-trained nurses in almost a decade and positions Nigeria as the third largest international population intake after India and the Philippines which recorded 62,413 (+28.9 percent) and 49,092 (+7.9 percent) respectively.

There are more nurses, midwives and nursing associates on the NMC register this year than ever totalling 826,418, 4.8 percent more registered professionals than 12 months ago, and 18.4 percent more than five years ago.

“These record numbers are welcome given the challenges of increasing demand for health and social care services, changing needs and workforce pressures,” the NMC reported.

During the Covid-19 pandemic in 2020, the UK experienced a surge in demand for more healthcare workers resulting in an elaborate plan to increase the number of nurses in the country by 50,000 by 2025. The government offered additional cost of living support of £5,000 for registered professionals and it was in the same period that the Health and Care skilled worker visa was introduced to encourage international applications.

These attractive packages have continued to draw many nurses away from Nigeria where health professionals battle poor working conditions, as medical institutions in the country struggle to meet the healthcare demands of a saturating population.

Nigeria, Africa’s most populous nation with over 218 million citizens, is one of the countries deemed by the World Health Organization (WHO) to have a critical shortage of health workers.

According to the Nigerian Association of Nurses and Midwives (NANNM), Nigeria’s nurse-to-patient ratio is 88 nurses per 100,000 Nigerians or 1:1,135,  which falls short of the World Health Organisation (WHO) recommendation of 83:10,000 or one nurse to about 120 patients.

On registered midwives, NANNM revealed the ratio to be 60 midwives per 100,000 patients or 1:1,666, a far throw from the WHO’s recommendation of 2.5 midwives for 1000 people.

Despite a code of practice outlined by the Department of Health and Social Care, which states that employers in the sector should not actively recruit from “red list” countries including Nigeria with a shortage of healthcare staff, the UK continues to experience an influx of Nigerians to make up for its own shortages.

“We continue to see proportional rises in first time joiners from several ‘red list’ countries from which active recruitment is not permitted,” reported the NMC. The year-on-year growth shows an increase of more than 18 percent in international takers compared to the previous year.

The organisation says the continued rise in internationally educated midwives joining this year following initiatives by the National Health Service (NHS) including the NHS England’s Maternity International Recruitment Programme, part of the NHS Maternity Workforce Programme.

To keep its talent for longer, the Nursing and Midwifery Council of Nigeria (NMCN) now insists that applicants seeking the verification of certificates to foreign nursing boards like the NMC and councils complete two years of practising in Nigeria after receiving their licenses. A move that has since been a topic of debate among nurses and healthcare professionals in the country.