BUSINESS DAY
Several Nigerian nurses in the United Kingdom (UK) involved in an investigation into alleged widespread fraud at a testing centre in Ibadan have been issued notices to leave the country despite awaiting the results of their appeals.
The Nursing and Midwifery Council (NMC) has also fallen under scrutiny for alleged delays in resolving fraud investigations tied to Nigerian nurses.
The Home Office, had revealed that these nurses have been instructed to leave as early as next week as their visas have been revoked after allegations of fraud were raised by the NMC.
However, the NMC, which oversees nursing standards in the UK, has come under criticism for “deliberately delaying” the resolution of these cases.
Campaigners and advocates have called on the regulator to expedite hearings to prevent the nurses from being repatriated before their appeals are fully considered.
Peters Omoragbon, executive president of Nurses Across The Borders and president of the Diaspora Nurses Association of Nigeria, accused the NMC of “deliberately delaying” appeal hearings so that nurses could be served with notice from the Home Office.
He told Nursing Times: “That saves them the troubles of trying to prove or trying to litigate. The NMC could be accused of deliberate delay, so that these nurses could lose their rights of abode here in the UK.”
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