The
Co-ordinating Minister of Health and Social Welfare,
Federal Ministry of Health (FMoH),
New Federal Secretariat Complex, Phase 111, Ahmadu
Bellow Way,
Central Business District,
P.M.B.083, Garki, Abuja,
Nigeria.
Sir,
NIGERIA’S UNIVERSITY GRADUATE
NURSES’ INTERNSHIP PLACEMENT
CRISIS: A CLARION CALL
FOR YOUR KIND IMMEDIATE INTERVENTION ON CENTRALIZED POSTING SYSTEM
The
National leadership of the University Graduates of Nursing Science Association
(UGONSA), also known as Graduate Nurses Association of Nigeria (GNAN), a
professional association of Nigeria Nurses with a minimum university
qualification of first degree in Nursing Sciences (B.Sc. Nursing /B.N.Sc.)
extends the good wishes of her members to you and other staff of the Ministry.
Honourable
Minister, it has become imperative to draw your esteemed attention to the ugly
developments and difficulties surrounding the recruitment/placement of Interns
of the Nursing profession in Nigerian health institutions.
Sir,
recall that the Office of the Head of Civil Service of the Federation (OHCSF)
in a circular Ref. No. HCSF/EPO/EIR/CNO/100/ST/97,
dated 8th September, 2016 conveyed the 39th meeting decision of the National
Council on Establishment (NCE), held in Minna, Niger State on 22nd July, 2016,
which approved the one year Internship Programme for graduate nurses (Please
see attached circular marked Annexure C). The one year internship programme,
which is a fundamental process in the “making of a qualified nurse” is designed
to bridge the gap between the theoretical knowledge acquired in the university
and the realities in the clinical practice, and equally serves as a
prerequisite for issuance of a permanent Nursing practicing License by the
Nursing and Midwifery Council of Nigeria (N&MCN), which confers the legal
authority to the officer to practice Nursing in Nigeria.
Sir,
the disturbing trend/experiences reported by graduate nurses seeking internship
placement in various health facilities in recent times, which calls for urgent
intervention, are reports of alleged bribery, corruption, and demand for sex
from some female candidates before giving a slot for the internship programme. Our
association gathered that, some personnel in some facilities “unofficially”
demand for payments ranging from two hundred to three hundred thousand naira
(#200,000 to #300,000) and more from candidates in exchange for internship
position, while others negotiate for monthly deductions from the interns
allowances throughout the 12 months duration of the programme. These candidates
are often denied slots if they do not comply or pay the requested amount;
thereby increasing the number of graduate nurses roaming the streets yearly
waiting to be engaged in the internship programme. Sir, this unfolding precarious
situation is fast developing into a depressive circumstance as many of the
prospective nurse interns have their interns' temporary licenses expired before
getting a placement. This ugly situation will warrant them to go back to
N&MCN for another process of getting a new one, which further contributes to their waiting time.
Honourable
Minister, this situation is worsening by the day, as an estimated 5,000, or
more nurses graduate annually from all universities in the country. Some
facilities that genuinely engage these interns often complain of lack of
capacity and budget constraints to accommodate more interns than necessary in
a year; thereby limiting the number of interns they recruit.
Another
confirmatory evidence available on the public space that affirmed our request is the recent notice for internship application at the University College
Hospital, Ibadan, where nine hundred and five (905) graduate nurses applied,
and were scheduled for screening examination on Monday (17/02/2025). Out of
which, the hospital can only take a fraction of the applicants, while the
majority of them will need to wait for another year, or continue the search for
placement in other hospitals (please, see attached). This is just one out of
many experiences of such.
Sir,
the consequences of these ugly trends are that, while some graduates spent two
to three (2 - 3) years searching for facilities for the internship programme, some,
during the process, miss some important professional growth milestones.
Secondly, the situation puts the future of the nursing profession in Nigeria at
stake, as many graduates, out of frustration, migrate to the Western world for
further studies and greener pastures. Some graduate nurses have also expressed
emotional frustration, anxiety, and depression due to their inability to secure an internship placement after a few years of graduation from the university.
House
officers and interns, especially nurse-interns, should be regarded as an
essential part of healthcare workforce that plays a vital role in addressing
the shortfalls in the healthcare personnel owing to emigration (Japa Syndrome),
and their distribution to different health facilities should be seen as a means
of balancing these shortfalls in the system.
Prayers/recommendations:
To
address this ugly trend, our association hereby recommends the following
measures to palliate the situation:
1. That you adapt the following proposals and present same as a memo to the National
Council on Health for consideration and approval
2. Centralized
Interns Application Portal: we call on the honourable Minister to authorize the
creation of a Centralized Internship Application Portal, where all universities
will forward the names of all graduate nurses yearly, for a centralized
placement and posting across the country.
3. Partnership
with States and Privately-Owned Hospitals: We recommend that the Federal
Government, through the Federal Ministry of Health, partner and empower States
and Privately-owned Teaching and General Hospitals to develop capacity to
engage and train nurse interns yearly, according to their capacity.
4. Mandatory
Quota System (MQS) for Teaching Hospitals and Federal Medical Centres: We also advocate that the Ministry issue a direct (publicly available) mandatory
quota system to all federal Teaching Hospitals and Federal Medical Centres
across the nation for yearly recruitment of nurse interns.
5. Increase
Budgetary Funding to Health Institutions for the recruitment and training of house
officers and interns per year.
The
association humbly prays that the above prayers/recommendations receive your
approval for necessary and immediate action.
Sir,
please, accept the esteemed assurances of our association’s highest regard.
Signed:
National
President National Secretary
