AGS NEWS – In one year, 3,173 Nigerian-trained nurses and midwives received licenses to practice in the United Kingdom, according to the latest report from the Nursing and Midwifery Council (NMC).

The data, covering April 1, 2023, to March 31, 2024, shows that 13,656 Nigerian-educated nurses and midwives are now practicing in the UK.

The NMC report highlighted that as of March 31, 2024, there were 826,418 nursing and midwifery professionals on their register, with Nigerian-trained professionals comprising a significant portion.The number of Nigerian nurses and midwives in the UK saw a 28.3% increase over the year.

Nigeria ranks among the top non-UK countries for nursing education, alongside India (62,413), the Philippines (49,092), Romania (7,378), and Ghana (5,536).

In 2023, the World Health Organization identified Nigeria and 54 other countries as facing critical health workforce challenges.

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Many health workers from these countries, impacted by COVID-19 and health service disruptions, sought better opportunities abroad.

As a result, the UK government placed Nigeria and 53 other countries on a red list, advising against active recruitment by health and social care employers.

Despite this, the NMC reported a rise in new registrants, with nearly 60,000 new nursing and midwifery professionals joining in the past year.

This includes both UK-educated (30,363) and internationally educated (29,628) professionals, with international joiners increasing by more than 18% from the previous year.

The National Association of Nigeria Nurses and Midwives noted that over 75,000 nurses and midwives left Nigeria in the past five years, exacerbating the shortage of health workers and threatening healthcare delivery in the country.