Nigerian Nurses Call for UK Minister's Help Amid Cheating Allegations
- A group of Nigerian nurses is appealing to the UK health secretary after facing accusations of cheating during their qualification tests.
- The Nursing and Midwifery Council's (NMC) allegations were based on suspicions of fraud at a test center in Nigeria, but many nurses completed the tests in a similar time frame upon retaking them in the UK.
- The nurses assert their innocence and call for transparency from the NMC, highlighting the damaging impact of these allegations on their lives and careers.
In Nigeria, over 100 nurses have reached out to UK’s health secretary, Wes Streeting, seeking assistance after being accused of cheating in tests required for practicing in the UK. This accusation arose after the Nursing and Midwifery Council (NMC) deemed their test completion times at Yunnik Technologies in Ibadan questionable. The NMC's findings led to a wave of allegations against many nurses, which have severely impacted their lives, employment opportunities, and reputations. Many of the accused nurses, some of whom relocated to the UK and took loans or sold their homes in Nigeria, assert that they completed the tests honestly. They have expressed frustration over being collectively punished for issues tied to the test center, demanding transparency and proof of cheating from the NMC. The situation is complicated by appeals from nearly 2,000 Nigerian nurses under review by the NMC regarding their registration status, with some facing lengthy wait times for the appeal process. Support organizations, like Migrant Voice, have voiced concerns over the treatment of these nurses, emphasizing that the nurses have met the conditions set by the NMC, which requires educational qualifications, language proficiency, and clinical assessments to practice safely in the UK. This scenario highlights the challenges faced by international healthcare professionals amid stringent regulatory measures and growing scrutiny over testing integrity.