NYSC: FG bars medical graduates without licences

The Federal Government has barred graduates of medicine from participating in the mandatory National Youth Service Corps, until after securing practising licences from the Medical and Dental Council of Nigeria. The Registrar/Chief Executive of MDCN, Dr. Abdulmumini Ibrahim, stated this at a briefing on Monday in Abuja. The council, he said, took the measure following a series of complaints by the NYSC management that all manner of persons paraded themselves as corps medical doctors. Ibrahim said, “There has been an increasing number of persons who are impersonating medical doctors. The NYSC has inundated us with complaints. Those who have completed their one-year internship have been given certificates. They can only go to service upon presentation of their licences.” The MDCN boss, who noted that the council had earlier in 2014 deliberated on it, explained that only persons registered with the body in line with the Medical and Dental Practitioners Act could legally practise medicine or dentistry in the country. Ibrahim added, “The council has directed that the practice of admitting persons into the NYSC as doctors on the strength of receipt of payment of the application fee for full registration be discontinued. The practice has 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 to 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 they 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.”