As mandated by the Medical and Dental Practitioners Act CAP M8, Laws of Federation of Nigeria 2004, the Medical and Dental Council of Nigeria (MDCN) has responsibility for determining the standards of knowledge and skills to be attained by persons seeking to become members of the medical or dental profession (Section 1, subsection 2 subsubsection a)
The MDCN desires to maintain the rules and regulations for completion of a course of study that is to be attained by persons seeking to become members of the medical or dental profession.
MDCN also institutes an assessment/examination for holders of foreign medical or dental qualifications.
MDCN commiserates with our dear students whose studies have been affected by the COVID19 pandemic in 2019 to 2021 and the conflicts in Ukraine and Sudan in 2022.
Following these disruptions, there have been extensive deliberations with key stakeholders, students and their parents with MDCN.
We are trying our best to ensure smooth integration of students who have the desire to become medical and dental practitioners and who have worked so hard, putting in a lot of time and effort.
We recognise that medicine is a calling.
It is in this regard that the MDCN had put up several remediation pathways to alleviate the consequences of the difficult circumstances that students found themselves in:
1. For students of 2022 from Ukraine who had completed their course of study of medicine or dentistry and were about to write their exams when the war broke out:
(a) MDCN prepared a well-structured, organised and sufficient 6-months remediation programme at the University of Abuja Teaching Hospital, conducted by medical teachers from the University of Abuja, with collaborative supervision by MDCN. This has just been concluded.
(b) All students who have satisfactorily attended and completed this remediation course are deemed eligible to register for and write the MDCN examinations in September 2024.
2. Students who would have graduated in later years (2023 onwards) are deemed not to have completed their course of study of medicine or dentistry by 2022. These students were advised on the following completion pathways:
(a) Return to a designated campus of their foreign university to complete their studies. Those who take this pathway would be expected to have been at the medical school physically for their completion of study.
(b) Transfer to any Nigerian university of their choice depending on availability and NUC regulatory compliance. A number of students from Sudan and Ukraine who opted for this pathway have been successfully integrated in the medical schools and some have already completed their course of studies and others are nearing completion. They will not be required to take the FTMDG exams if graduating from an accredited Nigerian university.
(c) For those who were not able to join any of the above pathways, they are advised to integrate into any university (according to the National Universities Commission (NUC) regulatory guidelines) in order to complete their medical school.
3. If there are any students who are confirmed to be of the 2022 set, another remediation programme would be arranged after full discussion and reviews with key stakeholders.
4. Online medical schools are not recognised in Nigeria. The study of medicine requires bedside teaching, with in-person clinical training and lab work. These are mandatory and must be fulfilled
5. The final exams for qualification to be a doctor must also include hands-on clinical assessments and cannot be completed online/virtually.
The MDCN is determined in maintaining high standards in medical and dental education and practice in Nigeria, therefore will continue to abide by the rules and regulations for the study of medicine.
Management