The number of nurses and midwives in Nigeria has further depleted as the country lost a total of 1,670 of its trained personnel to the United Kingdom in six months.
The Nursing and Midwifery Council (NMC), UK, revealed this in its latest report on the number of professionals on its register from April 1 to September 2022.
It said the council had licensed the Nigerian professionals to practice in the UK.
According to the NMC figures, 771,445 nursing and midwifery professionals were on its register as of September 30, 2022.
“Of this number, 8,891 were educated in Nigeria. And in the six months to 30 September 2022; 1,670 people who were educated in Nigeria joined our register for the first time,” the NMC said.
“Also, between April 2021 and March 2022, a total of 23,444 people who trained outside the UK joined the NMC register for the first time. That is 13,482 more than the number who joined the previous year.
“The number of nurses and midwives who trained in Nigeria joining the UK register for the first time during the period under review was 3,010. Of these, 2,998 were nurses and 12 were midwives,” the council stated.
The report also showed that Nigeria was ranked third with the highest number of nurses and midwives registered after India with a total of 9,769; and the Philippines with a total of 5,763.
The data showed a steady number of monthly joiners from outside the UK, with more than 2,000 internationally trained joiners each month.
The NMC is the regulator for nursing and midwifery professions in the UK and it maintains a register of all nurses, midwives, and specialist community public health nurses and nursing associates eligible to practice within the UK.
