FG bars medical graduates without practice licence from NYSC

Graduates of Medicine from Nigerian universities will now have to secure practice licence from the Medical and Dental Council of Nigeria, MDCN, before they can participate in the one year compulsory National Youth Service Corps, NYSC, service.

Dr. Abdulmumini Ibrahim, Registrar/Chief Executive of MDCN, made the decision known at a press briefing on Monday, November 9, 2015 in Abuja.

He noted that the council took the measure following series of complaints by the NYSC management that all manners of persons parading themselves as medical doctors had become desperate to proceed on service.

"There has been increasing number of personal non-Grata people who are not trained impersonating and parading themselves as medical doctors. The NYSC has inundated us with complaints. Those who have completed their one year internship have been given certificates. Most corpers are sent to rural areas. They can only go to service upon presentation of their practice license," he emphasised.

According to him, the council took the decision during its plenary in 2014 and directed that the provision of the Medical and Dental Practitioners Act that only persons who are registered by the MDCN can legally practice medicine or dentistry in Nigeria, should be strictly adhered to.

He said, "The council directed that the practice of admitting persons into the NYSC as doctors on the strength of receipt of payment of application fee for full registration be discontinued. The practice had become a means for quacks to gain advantage into the scheme.

"This decision was communicated to the NYSC and it was implemented with effect from the orientation camp in May, that only fully registered doctors should be admitted into the scheme. Accredited internship training centres were written, informing them of this policy.

"The doctors were informed to submit their duly completed and properly signed forms, at least one month to the date of opening of the orientation camp. Most did and have received their certificates of full registration. A few have problems with their postings which have to be clarified and rectified before their names could be entered into the register."