48 nurses and midwives in the UK who received their training in Nigeria are being looked into for exam fraud.
This was revealed in a report by Daily Mail, which claimed that nurses and midwives were paid to take computerised tests that assess their medical expertise and are required to work in Britain.
The Nursing and Midwifery Council (NMC) was informed of “anomalous data” and the investigation was started as a result.
They discovered “widespread fraudulent activity” at the Yunnik Technologies Test Centre in Ibadan, southwest Nigeria.
The NMC ruled all test results issued by the centre invalid.
The NMC said these individuals will have their cases assessed by an independent panel to determine if they did indeed commit fraud.
This also means that if the panel determines that they did, they would be removed from the register and lose the right to work as nurses or midwives in the UK.
Speaking of the discovery, Andrea Sutcliffe, chief executive officer (CEO), NMC, expressed sympathy for those innocent applicants caught up in the fraud scandal.
She added that the NMC’s priority remains to protect the public.
“We understand this continues to be a distressing time for people facing uncertainty about their application or place on our register,” she said.
“We’re committed to managing these concerns in the safest and fairest way we can.
“It’s been essential to look carefully at all the data and other information presented to us before deciding on the right and proportionate approach for everyone.
“Our paramount concern remains to protect the public by maintaining the integrity of the register for nursing and midwifery professionals practising in the UK.”
The report further said an additional 669 nurses and midwives who are in the process of applying to work in the UK but have not started employment, “are also believed to have obtained their results fraudulently”.
