Assessment exam, 447 foreign trained doctors fail

Not less than 447 of the 686 foreign trained doctors who wrote the assessment test of Medical and Dental Council of Nigeria (MDCN) failed.

Only 249 of the foreign trained medical and dental graduates were successful in the examination conducted in November 2017.

The Minister of Health, Prof. Isaac Adewole, made this known in Abuja on Thursday at the induction of the 243 successful medical doctors and six dental graduates that participated at the remedial course and assessment.

It was reported that the examination was conducted at the University of Ilorin Teaching Hospital (UITH) in November 2017.

However the Federal Government decried the poor performance.

The examination is aimed at ensuring that the standard of training obtained abroad by candidates measured up to the standard of training in Nigeria, while it is also geared towards ensuring the overall health and well-being of Nigerians and other people living in the country.

Adewole, who was represented by the Permanent Secretary of the ministry, Clement Uwaifo said it is worrisome that out of the 686 medical and 10 dental candidates who took the examination, only 249 were successful.

He attributed the failure to poor standard of foreign institutions the failed candidates were trained.

He urged parents to be mindful of the kind of institutions they send their children for medical training.

He said, “The success of 243 out of 686 medical and six out of 10 dental foreign trained candidates at the remedial course and assessment examination of MDCN is worrisome.”

The minister congratulated the inductees on their success, while he urged medical practitioners to engage in continuous learning.