Nigerian doctors can only be considered experts if they have a fellowship degree, according to the Medical and Dental Council of Nigeria (MDCN).
In response to a request from the Nigerian Association of Resident Doctors (NARD) for recognition of the granting institutions’ membership certificates, MDCN Registrar Dr. Tajudeen Sanusi made this statement in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) on Sunday in Abuja.
The association had included the revocation of the claimed downgrading of the membership certificate by MDCN as part of its requests in multiple communiqués and correspondences to the Federal Government.
In order to practice medicine in Nigeria, one needs to earn certification from the National Postgraduate Medical College of Nigeria (NPMCN), the West African College of Physicians (WACP), and the West African College of Surgeons (WACS).
However, Sanusi stated that the fellowship certificate, and not the membership certificate, is what is recognized in Nigeria.
Membership is not the norm in Nigeria, but rather stems from a classification used by other West African countries because to a shortage of specialists.
They (NARD) can’t just one day decide to start instructing us what to do; therefore, to be considered an expert in Nigeria, you need to have a fellowship, not a membership.
For this reason, he explained, NPMCN is emphatic that Nigeria’s cultural assets must be protected.
He elaborated, saying, “All along it has always been a fellowship, but because of the lack of experts in some other West African countries, they now felt that if they gave them membership, they could get some appointments.”
They were more numerous than Nigerians, particularly in the francophone countries, and the lack of knowledge was a factor. However, with membership, you have not completed your programme; this is not a fatal thing.
Nigeria made concessions so they could do what they want, but that doesn’t give them carte blanche to devalue what we offer.
They’re talking about joining a club, and if that happens, we won’t have enough trainers to go around in the future.
