More than half of the foreign-trained doctors and dentists failed examinations to secure practice licence of the Medical and Dental Council of Nigeria (MDCN), this year, says a Daily Trust report. A total 334 doctors and seven dentists who graduated from medical colleges outside Nigeria sat for the assessment this year, but only 160 doctors and four dentists passed – a 40% success rate.
The report says that speaking at their induction, the Minister of Health, Isaac Adewole, called the pass rate "worrisome." "Parents, please ask questions before you send your ward to overseas institutions. The fact it (the institution) is foreign does not make it good or excellent. Shine your eyes before you spend your hard-earned dollars sending your child to a school that's not good," he said.
The acting MDCN Registrar, Tajudeen Sanusi, said the council's examination was to ensure that the medical training Nigerian students get abroad measure up to standards in Nigeria. Passing the examination determines eligibility of new practitioners to be provisionally registered by the council.
Meanwhile, the report says, a mandatory one-year housemanship for new doctors goes online and it will be centralised from next year, it was gathered. Potential house officers will seek random slots through online application for posting to any hospital nationwide.
The Health Ministry said centralising housemanship placement will remove favouritism.
With 4,000 young doctors and 4,300 slots, there's enough placement but desire to serve in favourite hospitals means many doctors don't ever get placement.
[link url="http://allafrica.com/stories/201707160013.html"]Daily Trust report[/link]