The National Universities Commission has declared that any student who wants to study medicine will henceforth spend a minimum of 10 years in the university.
The Executive Secretary of the Commission, Prof. Julius Okojie disclosed this during a lecture he delivered at the maiden matriculation and inauguration of the University of Medical Science, Ondo, Ondo State.
He said the 2015 document for the training of medical students made provision for students to spend the first four years in studying basic sciences in university after which they would proceed to the medical school to spend another seven years.
“This development was imperative in order to enable the students mature psychologically for the profession”, he said.
Nice one. Thump up for NUC! What we have here now are mostly teenage butchers called doctors. Do you blame those who have the means that rushes to US and Europe and India for any minor treatment. Most of these doctors lacks what it takes to practice medicine. The other day I was telling a young lady doctor the problem and she was chewing gum loudly and chatting with her friend who was standing behind her.I did not collect her prescriptions and from that day I ask to see specific Doctor. I narrated my experience to a friend and he told me his similar experience. In his own case, he said that the doctor was distracted as he fiddled with his phone a couple of times apparently replying to whatsapp messages. The truth is that many of them are products of miracle centres and sorting. I t is sad.
ReplyDeleteThis is a welcome development cos it is obvious that some people whom some of our universities produce today are too young and lacks the psychological and mental maturity that the job demands in the first place. Many parent are just more interested in boasting that their children became a doctor at such a tender age.It is unfortunate. The same people dash to India for medical treatment when they have malaria.on addition to this more regulations need to come into place to check the churning out of half baked doctors by universities that does not meet set standard.
Oga Nawa for u o,d specific doctor u asked spent how many years in studying same course? How many years do they spend in other countries? Apparently student will be spending at least 14years before practicing, 4yrs to study science, 7yrs to study medicine, 1yr house man ship, 1 yr at Nysc making 13yrs, so at this how many people are ready to waitlons kind? Anoda avenue to lose talent here comes.
DeleteIn United States and Canada, you must first obtain a Bachelor's degree in one of the biological sciences before you can be admitted to study medicine.
DeleteHun! the ten years issue will not bother our leaders because most children are studying in an ideal environment abroad but Nigerian students can be left to study medicine till eternity. haba, there is God oooo. on a serious note Infrastructure development should be our priority as we can see a lot of rot, outdated and inadequate equipments for our to-be doctors in our hospitals nationwide. Please let our leaders do something toward upgrading infrastructure in our universities.
Deleteok
DeleteThis is madness. This is the first of its type worldwide and the more reason many Nigerians aspiring for medical school will go abroad. Going abroad is a game for the rich.
ReplyDeleteDid you say "first of its type worldwide"?
DeleteYou don't know what obtains worldwide. Go and check out what obtains in the United States and Canada. You must first get a degree in one of the biological sciences before you can be admitted to study medicine. (That is why the US embassy would never give a student visa to someone who says he wants to go and study medicine in the US - no university in US admits someone with WASC to study medicine.) Overall, you spend about 10 years as well. I see that NUC is simply aligning Nigeria with the more advanced countries.
I don't have any problem with the ten years if that is what will make us good quality Doctors. My issue is how many years will that 10yrs turn to at the end of the day. I spent 7yrs in school doing a 5yr course without extra year. Which means the 10 years can turn to 14 or 15 yrs due to strike, crisis and all that. We always put the cart before the horse in this country. We don't change the system but we want to get a different output. Other countries u talked abt, u will know the day u will graduate from the day you get admission and their school of medicine is as good as being employed already cos they are actually hospitals where u do some petty medical jobs to earn a living which make the study interesting, then I ask is Nigeria ready for that? I just hope this ends well otherwise we will end up with a lot of school drop-outs that will breed the next generation of quack doctors.
DeleteAnony 5:13 you want to sound enlightened but you actually don't know, I study abroad and the longest any where is US which is 8 yrs 4 yrs pre med, 2 yrs in medical school then 2 yrs in the hospital for clinical studies. And here you don't have to do house man ship or NYSC and after 6 yrs your basically not in school anymore. Nigeria just keeps making things hard for the people there, it's just sick and at least in US were you send 8 years you actually have 2 degrees. In Nigeria they want you to send 11yrs pursuing 1 degree
DeleteIt's not how long, keeping them for 20yrs without proper training is the same thing as keeping them for a day.
ReplyDeletePls add 5 years to it, #lindaseemee
ReplyDeleteMine is not about the length of years but Nigerian Doctors don't v passion for d job, rather, dey see themselves as superior. Bull Shit! I had worked with lot of Medical Doctors in the course humanitarian assignments both home and abroad, the are full of passion.
ReplyDeleteI wish Nigerian Doctors all d BEST!
In Europe (UK, France, Bulgaria, Romania, Italy, Malta, etc) medicine degree after A level is 5 to 6 years.
ReplyDeleteWhy all this plenty years? If a child misbehave the parents takes the blames. If our medical doctors are not performing as expected, then the institutions should be held responsible for it.
ReplyDeleteIt is not the number of years in training that makes the difference but the way the profession is practiced in reality. I will suggest a more regulated and stringent code of practice for all doctors. Today doctors in Nigeria are allowed to do shabby jobs without any penalty; this is were stringent measures are required.
My brother lost his baby because the navel was not treated and got rotten. This led swollen stomach and we were referred to a teaching hospital. The cause was not revealed until when the baby was examined someone else and attempt to save the baby failed cos it was too late.
One thing I discovered is that, doctors are seen as gods thus their decisions cannot be questioned. I think this is were caution needs to be applied because thousands of lives have been lost due to degligence of duty by the doctors. People will be awaken to their coupnscioisness when their is a prosecuting process for defaulters.
Take for example, lawyers are barred and prosecuted from practice if there is a shortfall in their practice. Similar measure can be used in correcting the shortfalls in medical practice.
It's not how long you train for but how well. All those mentioning the US and Canada should also mention the quality of training in those countries as well as the pay rate for doctors. In Nigeria you want them to spend 11 years and give you the best treatment but when informed how much it'll cost you start pricing. Just so you know if you have common cold with running nose and go to the doctor in the US you will get world class treatment at a minimum cost of $250. Average Doctor makes $200,000 and if you specialize it goes up significantly. So my friends when you in Nigeria are ready and willing to pay for increased health care costs you can demand for longer and better training. At the end of the day you get what you pay for. And by the way a doctor playing with thier phone or chewing gum has nothing to do with how long they spent in school or those age, that stuff happens everywhere in the world because people are just people.
ReplyDeleteYou have just made a very big mistake by saying that, in nigeria you can see someone that is very very sick and needs medical attention
Deleteimmediately, but what do the doctors do they will not attend to them without payment first, which is very unfair, but in the u.s. you must be treated before finalizing on the amount you give the doctor, I have been to a hospital in Nigeria whereby a woman who is pregnant and in labor was left alone just because those payments, bt in the US they will do what needs to be done and take you into the theater before finalizing on d hospital bills
Our children will not pay there children school fees with pensions in Jesus name, Oga God pass u
ReplyDeleteOga our children will not pay there children school fees with pension in Jesus name, Oga God pass u. If na for ur time u no go gree to this
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ReplyDelete15. So many Doctors graduate but no increase in newly built hospital to take them up and train. So everywhere is saturated with doctors trying to survive or get by. In Europe, hospitals are being expanded or new ones are built to accommodate the new ones coming up.
Quality medical schools should be in place. Accredited and the quality of teaching should be evaluated every time.
At the moment, Medicine is 5 years in all the English speaking part of Europe and housman-ship follows after that. Houseman-ship is 2 years in some countries and 1 year in some. All other countries in Europe offer medicine for 6 years. But these are countries that has gotten everything right. All they do is try to solve health problems and help the sick by practicing evidence based medicine and working on developing the latest stuff in medicine.
In conclusion, we can handle medicine in 6 years in Nigeria but the system and manner of teaching should change. Where students and doctors have wings and can fly and not be afraid or be conditioned to be successful out of constant fear or suffering from frustration of the bad system in place . Expected to work without pay etc. Nigerian doctors are depressed and frustrated. Those in school are already defeated before they graduate cause they know what they going into.
Don`t let a depressed and withdrawn individual become a lecturer. Select people who are truly qualified and have the passion to teach to go into such fields. A Human Anatomists who genuinely chose to train in that trade or field will teach passionately far more better than an individual who once dreamt to be a Medical Doctor but got withdrawn and decided to take up human Anatomy as a next best option. A Medical doctor who eventually takes up clinical biochemistry as a trade via an MSC and then a PHD will teach medical students much better than a Biochemist who is not happy cause he or she wanted to study Human Medicine at first but ended up as lecturer after 4 years.
There are many more issues.
ReplyDelete9. In Europe, supper expensive drugs are taken care of by insurance companies. Patients are well looked after. In Nigeria, I strongly doubt if the insurance companies function well at all.
10.In Europe, Doctor patients communication is vital. Communication skills is of essence. You cannot shout or be rude to a patient or a colleague or even a junior student. In Nigeria, i still remember seeing doctors screaming at patients nurses. Doctors are feared and they assume a semi god figure in Nigeria. You can sense the frustration in the air.
11. In Europe, no strikes in medical schools or in hospitals until the recent issue i the UK with the 7 day NHS saga. In Nigeria, the strike issue is not a new thing. From Lagos to FMC Keffi. Patients left suffering etc. Without failing any exam students spend 8 to 10 years in Medical school.
12. In my 2 years of houseman-ship, we get a good amount of money yearly for CME which stands for continuous medical education. It covers a list of things one can buy from any latest phone to a Mac book pro and to any professional exam or conferences anywhere in the world. In Nigeria, one MUGU will corner all that money or use to to campaign for some stupid political stuff. To pay salary is even hard is it such funds he will pay out? One will ask.
13. In Europe, facilities are available in every hospital to diagnose and treat any individual presenting with any illness. In Nigeria, my dad took ill in 2012, CT scan was only available in Abuja, Kano and ABUTH Shika. Gist for another time. He passed on in 2012 and illness was diagnosed in the UK. In Nigeria, he was started on an 8months course of anti-TB medication without an established diagnoses. That was when i knew we are finished in Nigeria. I gave up on that note.
CT scan was done but report was wrong. Luckily we flew him out in time but was diagnosed with a cancer and he passed on in 2012. People are dying on a daily basis in that country like ants. See the looting, that is enough to set up health facilities all over the country. Enough to pay doctors well and train them to be good at what they do. The situation has made doctors to seek private set ups for strictly money making purposes. Not to help the poor or common man. Capitalism in view.
14. Each country in the European union offers a Euro card to her citizens and if in another European union country/member state and he or she falls ill or faces any health difficulty. All that is required is to present that Eurocard to any hospital of his her choice in that country and a first class health care service will be delivered.
ReplyDelete4. My lecturers and professors were like servants. Very very humble. Come to work well dressed and then change into their lecturing outfit. White shirt, white trousers and a microphone clipped to the breast pocket of the shirt. For six years no class was ever cancelled. You call them by their first name and they never raise their voice on you. Like i said, they all trained as medical doctors first. A senior doctor will make coffee or tea for a junior doctor or student. During ward round we all take a break with our seniors to have coffee or tea. As a student, we all go out for group dinners with our lecturers. They were always there for us. No one felt left behind. You will love what you are doing. In Nigeria, many many lecturers and consultants in medicine are hardly approachable. Registrars are feared by the intern and student. The ladder system is so so strong. Sometimes students and Junior doctors cannot ask a registrar or lecturer or professor to repeat an explanation cause he or she might be screamed at or get verbally abused. Lecturers and senior doctors picks on students easily and a student literally does everything in fear from first year to final year. The joy and fun diminishes with that. The same students or junior doctor does same to the younger ones coming. The cycle continues.
5.I was trained in a hospital where first class health care is free. A homeless poor alcoholic found unconscious or presents sick is treated as how the president of that country will be treated. In Nigeria, NOOO WAYYYYY. People are suffering and dying for no reason.
6.In Europe, the standard of health care is similar. Evidence based medicine is practiced here. In Nigeria, evidence based medicine is not practiced. A patient with an illness might be treated in different ways when he or she visits different doctors. No Audits etc.
7. The barriers are less. After I graduated, I was accepted for 2 year housemanship in a lovely sweet Mediterranean island, a holiday hub. I had so many options from Norway, Germany , Sweden etc. Note, I was still with my Nigerian passport, they did not discriminate based on my colour or country of origin. In fact, over 250 doctors from Europe applied to do their housemanship there and a few including myself was selected. I flew from England to attend that interview and it lasted only 8 min. In Nigeria, one graduates from the north finds it hard or impossible to get into a residency program in the east or west not even internship in another part of the country. CONNECTION is the key. One must HUSTLE and PUSH BOTTON to find help to get into residency programs. As I write here most of my colleagues who started medicine in 1998 ad finished 2008/2009 are still yet to get into residency programs.
8. As final year medical student, we were allowed to go for an elective in other parts of the world just to get a bit of exposure to other environments. I was in a lovely island in the Caribbean and in the UK for that. Meet people networking etc.8.Doctors are well looked after and every doctor is happy to carry out his/her duty. Health care is free, patients are discharged with two months free supplies of Medications they came in with and the new ones started while on admission. They refill those medications for life. In Nigeria, fake drugs are everywhere and patients can hardly afford medications prescribed. Often at times, doctors help patients obtain their medications out of their pockets.
I have read all the comments here and I was reluctant to contribute. But, i just couldn`t help but say Nigeria has gotten it wrong here. 11 years is definitely 14 to15 years and may be more.
ReplyDeleteI will speak from my experience. I wanted to study medicine in 1998 in a one time or so called prestigious University in the North. I didnt get in cause i missed the cut off point for the middle belt by 14 points. I was given Biological Science of which i studied for 4 years. I did my NYSC and proceeded to Europe to study Medicine which is a 6 year program. I was 25 years Old when i left the shores of Nigeria .
Problems in our Medical Training in Nigeria is Multifactorial. I will use my experience in Europe as an example.
1. All my lecturers and professors who taught me, studied 6 years Medicine first before deciding to do a Masters and then a PHD and then take up a lecturing path in their chosen fields. In Nigeria, you will find out that many lecturers did not study Medicine at all. Anatomy, physiology, biochemistry etc. They might be individuals who wanted to study Medicine at first but were withdrawn. So decided to delve into these fields or areas as next best option but not from their minds. They end up as lecturers and obviously they have a tendency to show less interest in those subjects and can be bias and sometimes aggressive towards medical students.
2. Six years of my training in Europe, i didn`t see darkness for once. Internet was available at home and within the school premises. We knew the dates for all our semester tests and we studied and prepared for them way ahead of time. No excuse at all. In Nigeria, you only get to know about a test when the lecturer tells the students. Often at times such tests are impromtu. While in Nigeria, a lecturer once entered a class and said it is his Birthday tear a shit of paper cause you are writing my test today. This was happening regularly in many universities Medicine, Vet medicine Pharmacology, and the Sciences etc and they call it "Short Gun". What will be of such pupils in the future? I was extremely comfortable. I lack nothing. Sports was compulsory. The rigor of medicine is real. A lot of work to do but everything around me was just lovely. Avoided distractions cause I was matured enough to know exactly what I want etc.
3. We had syllabus for all subjects and there were books in the library available for us. We could order books from Amazon or Ebay as well. Everything was available for us to use. No lecturer or Prof ever said you must use my HANDOUT if not you will fail. This was the case in most universities and higher institutions. A professor or lecturer will be explaining a topic passionately and will ask for total attention. He/She will remind us that all the lecture slides and references will be uploaded in the department website for us to down load anytime. Note taking were not compulsory, understanding of the topics were key first. In Nigeria, you take down notes while a lecturer explains a topic. Lectures are often at times dictated and it has to be the lectures words if not it is a fail. no much room for dexterity. You CRAM to pass exams and test not to understand.
This is bull shit 11years is a long period of time how many years out the country 6 years and they are hood qualified doctors Nigeria is stupidly bringbup 11years u say that because you ain't study in so please reframe that shit 8years is enough we can still make qualified doctor it depends on the mind set of the individual studying
ReplyDeleteThis is not fair at all. Because of thei useless rule I can't study medicine again . Thank you so much for ruining my 8 year of plan thanks so fucking muvh Nigeria 🚶🏿
ReplyDeleteIts jux not fair,if doctors make mistakes the teaching institute should be held responsible, it shouldn't be, just by adding More years many students will be discouraged to study medicine, right now I am discouraged about studying medicine, please we are only going to school to study nd nt to spend the rest of our lives there, just imagine in the US it only takes 6 years to study medicine, is Nigeria more developed than the US, then why do they have to punish us this way by adding seven more years it's just unfair, an adage says those who will learn will learn, do not punish innocent people for other people's mistakes, God damn Nigeria
ReplyDeleteIt is not fair now I am discouraged about studying medicine Imaging adding several more years, this is just punishment
ReplyDeleteIt is not fair now I am discouraged about studying medicine Imaging adding several more years, this is just punishment
ReplyDelete