In this post we will be looking at History of Nursing and Midwifery Council of Nigeria, Headquarters and Locations and functions of Nursing and Midwifery Council of Nigeria.
INTRODUCTION
The Nursing and Midwifery Council of Nigeria (abbr. NMCN), is the sole governing body that regulates all cadres of nurses and midwives in Nigeria. It was established by government decree in 1979, and re-established as a parastatal by the government of Nigeria by Act Cap. No 143 Laws of the Federation of Nigeria, 2004. The Council maintains standards of practice, and enforces discipline within the Nigerian nursing profession. It also accredits education in nursing and midwifery, awarding certificates and a diploma in midwifery and nursing after a three years programme. The Council is headed by secretary General/Registrar, who is helped by other professional and non-professional staff. They are responsible to a board reporting to the Federal Ministry of Health.
History of Nursing and Midwifery Council of Nigeria
The history of Nursing and Midwifery Council of Nigeria has a lot in common with other allied professions, particularly in the health industry except that it came into existence before most if not all of them. Indeed, Nursing was among the first five recognized and accepted professions in the colonial era, hence recognition was transferred from the home government. Nursing and Midwifery services were given prime of place because of their relevance and direct impact to the life, health and well-being of the individual family and community. Therefore, in the attempt to modernize Nursing Education and Practice in the colony at least to cope with the developmental pace. The colonial Government decided to introduce, gradually, Nursing and Midwifery education on a formal basis, to enable them render modern and scientific Nursing and Midwifery care to the civil servants and their families. In 1930, the Midwives Ordinance which established the defunct Midwives Board was promulgated to regulate Midwifery education and practice in Nigeria. In 1947, the Nursing Council of Nigeria was established by the Registration of Nurses Ordinance of August 1947 to regulate and control the education and practice of Nursing in Nigeria. From the humble beginning through the pioneering Midwives Ordinance of 1930 with its major Amendment known as the Mid¬wives Act of 1966 to the first Nurses Ordinance of August 1947 and series of Amendment, such as Ordinances of 1957, 1959, the Nurses Act, No. 2 of 1970; the Nurses Amendment Act No. 30, of 20th July, 1974, what started as two separate bodies were merged together into one big effective body by the enabling decree 89 of 1979. Since then, it grew and developed more and more in status, functions and responsibilities as well as influence and authority as one of the foremost statutory professional regulating body with the largest scope, jurisdiction and professional personnel to control, supervise and regulate. The Nursing and Midwifery Council of Nigeria known as “The Council” is the only professional Council for all grades and Cadres of Nurses and Midwives. It is the only legal and administrative, corporate and statutory body charged with specific functions to perform on behalf of the Federal Government of Nigeria to ensure the delivery of safe and effective Nursing and Midwifery care to the public.
Headquarters and Locations
The council has its headquarters in Abuja. Other zonal offices are located in Sokoto, Kaduna, Bauchi, Enugu, Port Harcourt, and Lagos.
Functions of Nursing and Midwifery Council of Nigeria.
The primary objectives of the Nursing and Midwifery Council of Nigeria are to ensure high quality of Nursing and Midwifery education in Nigeria, maintain high standard of professional nursing and midwifery practice and enforce discipline within the profession. BBroadly, the Council’s functions are related to those of designing, implementing and evaluating various nursing and midwifery educational programmes, of indexing, examination, registration, certification, licensure of professional nurses and midwives and monitoring standards of nursing and midwifery practice in the Country. Specifically, the Council’s functions are as follows:
- Index all categories of nursing and midwifery students on commencement of their training.
- Develop and review periodically, the different curricula utilized for the education of all categories of Nurses and Midwives.
- Co-operate with recognized bodies interested in conducting new schemes for Basic and Post Basic Education of Nurses and Midwives such as: National Universities Commission, World Health Organization, etc.
- Accredit all training institutions and clinical practice areas utilized for the education of all categories of Nurses and Midwives in Nigeria.
- Conduct Professional Examinations for all categories of Nurses and Midwives in Nigeria.
- Establish and maintain Registers of all persons qualified to practice the discipline of Nursing and Midwifery in Nigeria.
- Conduct Registration interviews for Nurses and Midwives trained outside Nigeria who are seeking to practice in Nigeria.
- Issue and update Professional Practicing Licenses every three years to all cadres of qualified Nurses and Midwives.
- Issue Professional Certificates to all cadres of Nurses and Midwives at the end of their training.
- Revoke and/or Restore Professional Certificates as applicable.
- Determine and maintain standards of knowledge and competencies in Nursing and Midwifery Education and Practice in Nigeria.
- Organize and Conduct Mandatory Continuing Professional and Educational Development Programmes for all cadres of Nurses and Midwives.
- Conduct and Promote Research in relevant areas of Nursing and Midwifery.
- Maintain discipline within the Nursing and Midwifery profession in Nigeria through the Nurses and Midwives Tribunal.
- Prosecute illegal Training Institutions.
- Regulate and control the practice of Nursing and Midwifery in all its ramifications.