The Nursing and Midwifery Council of Nigeria (NMCN), says it is employing plausible measures to curb the menace of quackery and the existence of illegal training institutions in the country.
The Registrar of the council, Alhaji Ndagi Alhassan, disclosed this on Thursday in Minna in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN).
NAN recalls that Alhassan’s substantive appointment was recently approved by President Bola Tinubu as convened via a letter signed by the Coordinating Minister of Health and Social Welfare, Prof. Ali Pate.
According to the registrar, the council has 21 Zonal Offices that oversee Nursing and Midwifery activities across the 36 states and FCT.
Alhassan said,”At the states’ levels, we have committees known as Nursing and Midwifery Committees that supervise activities in both education and practice.
“To that effect, should there be anything happening in the states, they report back to the headquarters in Abuja.
“Now with the activities of illegal training institutions and quackery, the two arms are empowered to work with the Commissioners for Health in the state concerned to take action.
“This is by swiftly closing down the illegal training institution or get the quacks arrested for possible protection.”
The registrar said that the council has a robust legal unit headed by a Legal Adviser, saying, “the unit is diligently handling all likely litigations.
“They prosecute such suspects in any of the available Courts in the 36 states and Abuja.”
Alhassan further said that the council has Anti-corruption and Transparency Units responsible for checkmating the activities of training institutions in the areas of service delivery.
He said, “Illegal activities are reported to them from the states to the zonal offices and to the headquarters which eventually report them to the ICPC for diligent prosecution.
“Happily, this has greatly minimised the activities of quacks and illegal training institutions in the country.
“We are also actively collaborating the Office of the Inspector-General of Police (I-G) to strengthen these measures to stem the tide of quackery and illegal training institutions.
“Now there is even a Nurse who has been appointed as a CP and we report such infractions and cases to him for necessary actions to be taken immediately.”
The NMCN boss added that it had established an X-ray Council, saying, “we are striving to immediately provide all the needed logistics to it.”
Alhassan also said that the council was taking measures to strengthen Nursing and Midwifery education in the country.
He stated, “Hence, we have taken measures like reviewing our curricular, working with the related educational regulatory bodies such as NUC and NBTE.
“We are working with them to perfect our curricular to form the basis of training Nurses and Midwives in the clinical field.”
The registrar added that the council and the states’ committees and organised a biennial conference, saying that plans were on top gear to organise the 2026 edition.
“At the last conference, we brainstormed and identified the gaps as well as strategised on how to handle them.
“Also, information on new methods was duly conveyed to the delegates from across Nigeria.
“This is for them to go back to their respective states, cascade them and take action on them,” Alhassan disclosed.(NAN
