The Federal Government has approved a central placement system for nurse interns to address gaps in Nigeria’s health workforce and ease the difficulties newly qualified nurses face in securing internship positions.
The announcement was made on Wednesday in Abuja by the Coordinating Minister of Health and Social Welfare, Prof. Muhammad Ali Pate, during the launch and distribution of support materials to the Nursing and Midwifery Council of Nigeria (NMCN). The materials were provided by development partners, including the Gates Foundation, UNFPA, the World Health Organisation (WHO), and HISA.
Speaking at the event, Prof. Pate said the central placement system would complement the existing workforce structure and ensure the strategic deployment of nurses nationwide, particularly to areas experiencing critical shortages.
“This initiative is part of our ongoing efforts to strengthen healthcare service delivery, especially in maternal and newborn health, while addressing workforce planning challenges,” he said.
Represented by the ministry’s Director of Human Resource Management, Mr. Tetshoma Dafela, the minister highlighted the persistent challenge of retaining trained nurses and midwives amid rising migration trends. He explained that the government is introducing measures to improve recruitment, deployment, and incentives, while promoting policies that encourage healthcare workers to serve in underserved communities.
Prof. Pate described the launch of training materials, electronic applications, and policy documents as evidence of sustained collaboration between the government and development partners to strengthen workforce development.
Speaking on behalf of the WHO, its Country Representative, Dr. Pavel Ursu, described the launch of the NMCN policy documents and the Electronic Application Management System (EAMS), alongside the handover of educational resources, as “a major milestone in Nigeria’s journey toward strengthening the nursing and midwifery workforce and advancing universal health coverage.”
