The regulatory body for medical doctors and dentists in Nigeria has announced that all medical graduates who schooled abroad and want to take the council’s assessment examination will pay over $2,000 to undergo an attachment programme.
Medical and Dental Council of Nigeria (MDCN) also said applicants will have to undergo the programme for a period of six months.
According to the MDCN, applicants who are Nigerian citizens will pay a sum of N900,000 which is equal to over $2,000 going by the Central Bank of Nigeria’s official exchange rate. Foreign applicants will pay a sum of N1,400,000, which is over $3,000.
A statement on MDCN’s website also says candidates will pay a N10,000 ($24) administrative fee while Dental candidates will pay an additional N200,000 (about $500) for ‘dental materials’.
The listed medical facilities for the attachment programme by the MDCN are; Olabisi Onabanjo University, Sagamu (South West), Enugu State University Teaching Hospital (South East), University of Port Harcourt Teaching Hospital (South-South), University of Ilorin Teaching Hospital (North Central), Aminu Kano University Teaching Hospital (North West) and University of Maiduguri Teaching Hospital, Maiduguri (North East).
Dentistry applicants will have their attachment at the University College Hospital, Ibadan.
Eligibility for the attachment, according to the website is 75% attendance at the programme.
Thousands of Nigerian students go abroad to study Medicine either as a result of the incessant strike actions in Nigeria or for want of better facilities. This compulsory attachment programme for the MDCN examination will see applicants pay over three times of what was paid a few years ago.