Over 452,443 Nigerian students applied to study medicine in 2023

A Professor of Hematology and Stem Cell Transplantology at the University of Benin Teaching Hospital, UBTH, Nosakhare Godwin Bazuaye said over 452,443 students applied to study medicine in Nigerian universities in the 2023 academic session.

Bazuaye disclosed this at the induction/oath-taking ceremony for the 2023/2024 Batch A graduates of Medicine and Surgery of the Edo State University.

The stem cell expert, who delivered a lecture titled, ‘Now A Doctor, What Next?’, described doctors as above-average intelligent individuals trained and certified in the act of medicine to manage both the physical and mental health of individuals.

He said a doctor must be willing to go the extra mile to save lives in line with the Hippocratic Oath as well as have good character and passion to save lives.

While noting that today’s doctors in Nigeria lack adequate facilities to practice, he added that they are poorly paid even when they can survive anywhere in the world.

Bazuaye, who opined that medical practice in Nigeria cannot be separated from Nigeria’s current situation, advocated that there should be a good health insurance policy to improve practice.

He said a good insurance policy must include better salaries, improved practice facilities and a better working environment conducive for doctors to make a difference wherever they find themselves.

Earlier, Dr. Fatima Kyari, Registrar, Medical and Dental Council of Nigeria, MDCN, who administered the oath on the inductees, noted that they have been certified as qualified medical doctors to practice in any of the health facilities in the country.

Kyari, represented by Dr Victor Kolawole, Deputy Registrar of the Council, advised the new doctors to adhere strictly to the rules and professional conduct, which are ethical guidelines binding on every doctor in Nigeria.

In his remarks, the Acting Vice Chancellor of the university, Prof Dawood Omolumen Egbefo congratulated the graduates and the Medical and Dental Council of Nigeria for the provisional approval for the programme which paved the way for the graduation of the first medical students in March 2020.