In the past year, 3,173 Nigerian-trained nurses and midwives moved to the United Kingdom to practice, according to the latest report from the Nursing and Midwifery Council (NMC). This brings the total number of Nigerian-educated nurses and midwives in the UK to 13,656 as of March 31, 2024.
The report, covering April 1, 2023, to March 31, 2024, shows a significant increase in the number of Nigerian professionals joining the NMC register. “In the 12 months to March 31, 2024, 3,173 people who were educated in Nigeria joined our register for the first time,” the report states. This marks a 28.3% increase in Nigerian-trained nurses and midwives practicing in the UK within a year.
The NMC, which regulates nursing and midwifery in the UK, maintains a register of all eligible nurses, midwives, and specialist community public health nurses and nursing associates. As of March 31, 2024, there were a total of 826,418 professionals on the NMC register.
Nigeria ranks as one of the top non-UK countries of education for nurses and midwives, alongside India (62,413), the Philippines (49,092), Romania (7,378), and Ghana (5,536).
This increase comes amid global health workforce challenges highlighted by the World Health Organization (WHO) in 2023. WHO noted that Nigeria, along with 54 other countries, faces significant health workforce challenges related to universal health coverage. The impact of COVID-19 and disruptions to health services have driven many health workers in these countries to seek better opportunities in wealthier nations.
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In response to these challenges, the UK government placed Nigeria and 53 other countries on a red list on March 23, restricting active recruitment by health and social care employers.
Despite this, the NMC report indicates that the number of new nursing and midwifery professionals in the UK continues to rise, with nearly 60,000 new registrations this year alone. The split between UK-educated joiners (30,363) and internationally educated joiners (29,628) was nearly equal, with international joiners seeing an 18% increase compared to the previous year. India was the leading source of new international joiners, with 14,615 new professionals.
The National Association of Nigeria Nurses and Midwives reported that over 75,000 nurses and midwives left Nigeria in the past five years in search of better opportunities. This mass exodus has exacerbated the ongoing shortage of health workers in Nigeria, posing significant threats to the healthcare delivery system and limiting access to care for many people.