A recent examination report from the Medical and Dental Council of Nigeria (MDCN) reveals that a staggering 529 foreign-trained medical and dental graduates failed the assessment examination. The two-day exam, conducted at the University College Hospital in Ibadan, Oyo State, saw participation from 704 medical and 30 dental graduates. Unfortunately, only 189 medical graduates and 16 dental graduates managed to pass, while 515 medical and 14 dental graduates did not meet the required standards.
The MDCN, responsible for regulating the practice of Medicine, Dentistry, and Alternative Medicine in Nigeria, deems the assessment examination compulsory for all foreign-trained doctors intending to practice in the country. This examination tests candidates’ proficiency in applying basic medical sciences and clinical skills in a healthcare setting.
Dr. Tajudeen Sanusi, the MDCN Registrar, expressed concern over the pass rate of 27.4%, emphasizing the importance of ensuring the health and safety of Nigerians. He stressed that having a few qualified doctors is preferable to risking the nation’s healthcare system with inadequately trained practitioners. Dr. Sanusi defended the assessment exam as a necessary global practice, highlighting the need for foreign-trained doctors to undergo evaluation when transitioning to a different jurisdiction.
According to him, the assessment examination is a required global practice.
“It’s a global practice that if you train in a particular jurisdiction and, you want to go to another jurisdiction, you subject yourself to an assessment exam. Even if you are a professor of medicine here and you’ve never practised in the United Kingdom or the United States, when you go there, you subject yourself to their assessment exam. So, it’s a global practice,” he said.
