Housemanship Gap Locks Out 2,000 Doctors Every Year — MDCN

The Medical and Dental Council of Nigeria (MDCN) has disclosed that about 2,000 Nigerian-trained medical doctors are left without housemanship placement every year, citing limited capacity under the current centralized system. The revelation was made by MDCN Registrar Fatimah Kyari while defending the Council’s 2026 budget proposal before the Senate Committee on Health in Abuja. Housemanship Capacity Below Medical Graduate Output According to the Council, Nigerian medical schools produce approximately 6,000 doctors annually, but the Centralized Housemanship System can only absorb about 4,000 graduates each year. This shortfall leaves nearly one-third of new doctors unable to complete their mandatory housemanship, delaying full registration and entry into the workforce. “A total of about 6,000 medical doctors are produced annually from various medical schools, while the centralized housemanship system in operation can only take 4,000,” Kyari said. Call to Include State and Private Hospitals To close the gap, the MDCN urged the Federal Government to expand the Centralized Housemanship System to include state-owned and privately owned hospitals. Kyari said such an expansion would allow all 6,000 medical graduates to be absorbed annually, eliminating backlogs and training delays. Brain Drain Concerns Grow The Registrar warned that persistent housemanship delays were fueling Nigeria’s medical brain drain, as affected graduates increasingly seek training and employment opportunities abroad. She stressed that timely placement of medical graduates was critical to retaining healthcare professionals and strengthening the health system. MDCN Raises Funding Shortfalls Kyari also highlighted funding challenges facing the Council, revealing that no capital funds were released in the 2025 fiscal year, despite an approved ₦1.2 billion capital budget. She added that: Senate Promises Budgetary Support Responding, the Chairman of the Senate Committee on Health, Banigo Ipalibo, assured the MDCN of legislative backing, pledging that the committee would work toward improved funding for the Council in the 2026 budget. He noted that addressing housemanship bottlenecks and funding gaps was essential to improving healthcare delivery in Nigeria.

Tinubu to address Nigerians amid nationwide hardship

On Monday, July 31, 2023, President Bola Ahmed Tinubu will deliver a broadcast to the nation at 7 pm. The announcement was made on Monday morning by Dele Alake, the presidential spokesman, urging television, radio stations, and other electronic media outlets to tune in to the network services of the Nigerian Television Authority (NTA) and Radio Nigeria for the broadcast. Though the specific content of the address remains undisclosed, it comes at a time when the country is grappling with widespread hardship due to the removal of fuel subsidy, leading to an increase in petrol prices. President Tinubu has consistently appealed for calm, assuring the public that the government is diligently working to improve living conditions and alleviate the prevailing challenges. Interestingly, this address coincides with an upcoming nationwide protest by the organized labour, which is parleying civil society organisations as they prepare for an industrial action on August 2, and the ongoing strike by the Nigerian Association of Resident Doctors (NARD). The NARD has rejected the recent 25% increment in basic salary announced by the federal government, demanding the full restoration of the Consolidated Medical Salary Structure to its original value as approved in 2009. The association, represented by its president, Dr. Orji Emeka Innocent, secretary-general Dr. Chikezie Kelechi, and publicity and social secretary Dr. Umar Musa, vows to continue the nationwide total and indefinite strike action until the government takes significant steps to address their demands, including the release of the circular on the One-for-One policy for the replacement of exited clinical workers to ease work overload caused by brain drain. As Nigerians await President Tinubu’s address on Monday night, the nation is at a crucial juncture, grappling with pressing issues that demand immediate attention and resolution.