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Foreign Trained Doctors face Stiffer Rules for Practice in Nigeria – A Step in the Right Direction?

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The recent announcement by the Medical and Dental Council of Nigeria (MDCN) that no foreign trained doctor will be allowed to practise in Nigeria from October, 2012 except showing evidence that he or she could have practised in the country of study has sparked up heated debates across the country.

The Acting Registrar of MDCN, Dr. Udugbai Ilevbare disclosed this in Abuja yesterday during the induction ceremony of 103 foreign trained medical and dental graduates.

According to him, they must show evidence from the health regulatory bodies in their countries of training that they are registerable and could have worked there.

He also said that such graduates from October 2012 must sit for and pass the MDCN Assessment Examination to be eligible to practise in Nigeria.

He said: “May I at this point inform you all that beginning from October 2012 Assessment Examination, foreign medical graduates must show evidence from the heath regulatory bodies of the countries where they were trained that they are registrable and could have practised in those countries if they had wanted to do so.

“What it means is that if those who trained you as doctors permit or allow you to treat them as patients, we can also allow you to treat us without fear.”

The news has been received with mixed reactions. On one hand, people argue that Nigeria does not have adequate number of doctors to cater for its teeming population and so more doctors would serve as an advantage to the country.

On the other hand, the fact that they must show evidence from the health regulatory bodies in their countries of training that they are registerable and could have worked there helps prune away the inadequately qualified doctors from our society who might want to hide under the excuse that they studied in a ‘foreign’ university.

Which side are you on? What do you think about the new regulation to be imposed by the Medical and Dental Council of Nigeria soon? Do you think this would help improve the quality of health care obtainable in Nigeria?

Please share your thoughts.

News Source: Vanguard

Adeola Adeyemo is a graduate of Industrial Relations and Personnel Management from University of Lagos. However, her passion is writing and she worked as a reporter with NEXT Newspaper. She believes that anything can be written about; anything can be a story depending on the angle it is seen from and the writer's imagination. When she is not writing news or feature articles, she slips into her fantasies and creates interesting fiction pieces. She blogs at www.deolascope.blogspot.com

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