Coalition alleges MDCN’s ‘highhandedness’ of foreign-trained Nigerian Doctors

A coalition of parents of foreign-trained doctors in Nigeria have accused the Medical and Dental Council of Nigeria (MDCN) of ‘highhandedness’ in the regulation and procedure of certifying the young doctors.

Besides, the concern parents who questioned the transparency of the traditional ‘assessment examination’, an entrance test required of doctors to scale through MDCN certification, faulted the incessant mass failure of foreign-trained doctors.

Addressing journalists in Kano, Chairman of the coalition, Professor Lukman Diso said despite rigorous training underwent and sacrifices of the parents, it is disheartening the young doctors would still be subjected to undue pressure and systematic extortion by MDCN before registration.

Diso expressed worry that contrary to the operational guidelines of MDCN as contain in the “Registration of Medical and Dental Practitioners Act, CAP M8, 2006, Section 8,11,12 & 14,”, the council has continued to subject the foreign-trained Nigerian doctors to unnecessary assessment.

He said unlike others, MDCN compelled those foreign trained doctors to write the so call assessment exam with registration fee of N135,000.00, another N200,000.00 charge for hospital attachment and additional N100,000.00 for tutorial.

According to him, “the operational guidelines of MDCN clearly declared that Nigerian graduates of accredited foreign medical schools are entitled to provisional registration upon their return to the country to enable them undertake their internship.

“However, Nigerian graduates of an accredited foreign medical schools along those who do not possess recognised qualifications are required for now required to sit and pass Council’s assessment examination before they can be registered.

“Under normal circumstances, no condition could warrant National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) waiver for anyone who so wishes. Yet, MDCN denies the doctors to participate in the scheme. This is a clear violation of national law and the doctors’ fundamental rights.

Professor Disco stressed that MDCN has succeeded in making the “assessment exam” a lucrative venture and unconstitutional cash cows business, a development that has continued to rear ugly head despite several appeal to concern authorities.

The parents who are demanding for justice for over 8,000 foreign trained doctors currently stagnated with unwarranted conditions of MDNC, warned against further complication of brain drain in the healthcare section in Nigeria.