…as NMCN launches new
The Federal Government has approved the central placement of nurse interns as part of efforts to address gaps in Nigeria’s health workforce and ease difficulties faced by newly qualified nurses in securing internship placements.
The Coordinating Minister of Health and Social Welfare, Prof. Muhammad Ali Pate, disclosed this in Abuja on Wednesday at the official launch and distribution of supports received by the Nursing and Midwifery Council of Nigeria (NMCN) from the Gates Foundation, United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA), World Health Organisation (WHO) and Health Information Systems Advisory (HISA).
Pate said the approval was intended to complement the existing number of nurses and strengthen service delivery, particularly in maternal and newborn health.
“Nigeria continues to face one of the world’s most challenging maternal and newborn health burdens. Our maternal mortality ratio remains unacceptably high, and this underscores the urgent need for skilled personnel at every stage of pregnancy and childbirth,” he said.
He noted that the role of midwives in reducing maternal mortality “cannot be overemphasised,” adding that shortages are most evident in rural and underserved communities where access to skilled care remains limited.
According to him, evidence shows that the majority of maternal deaths occur in settings without skilled birth attendance.
Represented by the Director of Human Resource Management in the ministry, Tetshoma Dafela, the Minister also highlighted the challenge of retaining trained nurses and midwives amid increasing migration.
He said the ministry was taking steps to ensure proper recruitment and deployment of health workers, improve incentives and remuneration, and implement policies that encourage practice in underserved areas.
Pate described the launch of training items, electronic applications and policy documents as evidence of sustained collaboration between government and development partners.
The Minister acknowledged the support of the Gates Foundation in regulatory reforms and curriculum reviews, noting that midwifery training items procured would be distributed to 20 selected Colleges of Nursing Sciences across the country.
He also said the Electronic Accreditation Management System (EAMS), supported by UNFPA, would ease institutional accreditation and provide real-time data, while the National Preceptorship Manual would promote uniform training standards.
Support from HISA, formerly HWMA, he added, aligns with the National Procedure Guide for Nursing, Midwifery and Public Health Nursing programmes.
Pate described WHO as a reliable partner, noting that the provision of facilities and training materials would improve student performance and help produce competent nurses and midwives.
He urged beneficiary institutions to ensure judicious use of the distributed resources.
Earlier, the Registrar and Chief Executive Officer of NMCN, Alhassan Ndagi, said the newly reviewed nursing and midwifery curriculum was designed to strengthen training, improve service delivery and respond to emerging health challenges.
“The reviewed curriculum is aimed at improving knowledge, skills and service delivery. If the training is not very good, the service delivery will not be efficient,” he said.
Ndagi explained that the curriculum review took into account societal changes, emerging diseases and evolving health challenges. “We have looked at them all and implemented them into the new curriculum for the training of students,” he said.
He noted that the scope of training had been expanded to reflect Nigeria’s changing disease burden, including non-communicable diseases that were previously underemphasised.
The Registrar added that the donated training equipment complements the revised curriculum through the use of modern simulation tools.
He said the high-fidelity models allow students to observe procedures, practise through return demonstrations and receive immediate correction, helping them gain confidence before entering clinical service.
According to him, the deployment of the training items would contribute to improved maternal, newborn, child and adolescent health outcomes, stronger reproductive health services and better preparedness for public health emergencies.
He added that the interventions would also support Nigeria’s progress toward achieving Universal Health Coverage and the Sustainable Development Goals, particularly those related to health, gender equity and human capital development.
Ndagi also acknowledged the Minister’s role in ensuring the Council became a sub-awardee of the Gates Foundation grant and for providing policy guidance.
“He has also graciously approved the central mobilisation of nurse interns, a development which has gladdened the hearts of all nurses and midwives in Nigeria,” he said, adding that implementation modalities were at the final stage.
The WHO Representative, Dr Pavel Ursu, said the launch of NMCN policy documents, the EAMS and the handover of educational resources marked “a major milestone in Nigeria’s journey toward strengthening the nursing and midwifery workforce and advancing universal health coverage.”
Represented by Mary Nana Ama Brantuo, Ursu said WHO provided technical guidance for the Nigeria Strategic Directions for Nursing and Midwifery 2025–2030 and supported the rollout of the EAMS through UK Government funding, including the provision of 30 tablets.
He added that under the FCDO-funded Equipment Support for Health Training Institutions project, WHO had improved the capacity of 13 training institutions through the provision of buses, generators, computers, solar inverters and other equipment.
The UNFPA Nigeria Resident Representative, Muriel Mafuco, said investments in midwifery were critical to reducing maternal and newborn deaths, noting that well-trained and supported midwives can deliver most essential sexual, reproductive, maternal, newborn and adolescent health services.
She said Nigeria would need about 70,000 additional midwives by 2030 to meet WHO standards and reaffirmed UNFPA’s partnership with NMCN to strengthen pre-service education, in-service training, mentorship and innovative learning systems.
The event featured the launch of the reviewed curriculum, distribution of training materials and electronic tools to 20 selected institutions, and the unveiling of the Electronic Accreditation Management System.
