Vice-Chancellors Open Up On Low Capacity For Medical Students In Nigeria In 2022
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Vice-Chancellors of Nigerian Universities have raised an alarm about the low capacity for medical students in Nigeria.
The committee of Vice-Chancellors of Nigerian Universities say it is making efforts to bridge this gap.
The CVCNU Secretary-General, Prof. Yakubu Ochefu, disclosed this in Abuja.
Speaking with newsmen the VCs say they are partnering with Universities in Egypt to commence medical mobility exchange programmes. He added that they were also partnering with the Association of African Universities.
They will also be addressing the issue of the low carrying capacity of medical education studies in the country.
Ochefu said the total carrying capacity for medical education in Nigerian universities is less than eight per cent of demand.
He said:
“In 2019, over 436,799 candidates applied to study medicine in Nigerian universities with only 30,111 spaces available. This represents 7.95 per cent of available capacities.
“At the level of the National Universities Commission, JAMB and the Nigerian and Medical Council of Nigeria and the level of individual universities, specifically vice-chancellors are all worried about this development, which may become a crisis. This issue is very alarming and the Committee of Vice-Chancellors has decided to do something about it.”
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Prof Ochefu said the partnership with Egyptian universities would solve the problem.
He continued:
“So, part of what we are doing is working with the AAU through their North Africa Regional office and in partnership with the government of Egypt to initiate a medical mobility exchange programme between Egyptian universities and Nigerian universities.
“As you may well know, the Egyptians have helped set up several medical schools in Nigeria, such as in Maiduguri, Kano and Sokoto in the past. What we are now trying to do is to extend that relationship to as many universities as possible
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“We are working with them for exchange of staff, training of staff, exchange of learning materials and exchange of postgraduate students in medical studies. We believe that with the help of the Egyptians we should be able to reduce these dreadful figures that we have substantially in the next five years.”
Source: PUNCH HEALTHWISE