Lecturers who are not doctors ‘should no longer’ teach medical students

Bodies of medical and dental practitioners in Nigeria say lecturers who are not medical doctors will no longer be allowed to teach medical students.

At a meeting convened by the Medical and Dental Council of Nigeria (MDCN) and Medical and Dental Consultants’ Association of Nigeria (MDCAN) in Abuja, the stakeholders said only medical doctors with degrees in basic medical sciences should lecture students.

The medical practitioners also lamented the pass rate of foreign trained medical students, who sit for medical examination in the country.

They said the high failure rate in post-graduate medical education is a reflection of poor training and assessment methods which needs improvement.

“Medical doctors with degrees in basic medical sciences should lecture basic medical sciences in medical schools. Lecturers in basic medical sciences who are not medical doctors should be phased out over time,” the report read.

“There are 42 universities where undergraduate medical education is taking place in Nigeria. Thirty two of the medical schools are fully accredited while 10 are partially accredited as at 2018. There are nine dental schools and three specialised universities of medical sciences.

“About 3,700 medical students gain admission yearly. The pass rate of foreign trained medical students who sat for the MDCN exam has been reducing over time with the lowest being 15% in February 2018.

“Undergraduate medical education in Nigeria is challenged by outdated curriculum, lecturers who are not medical doctors especially at the basic medical sciences level, insufficient or lack of teaching aids, sub-standard library, decay of infrastructure and laboratories, lecturers who are not themselves educators, and inadequately equipped clinics.

“MDCN should ensure that graduating medical students have places to do horsemanship. It was suggested that private hospitals, general hospitals and some district hospitals can be affiliated with teaching hospitals and federal medical centres for the purpose of increasing the spaces available for house job.” - TheCable