The Medical and Dental Council of Nigeria (MDCN) says only 58,000 doctors renewed their annual practice licence out of the 130,000 registered doctors in the country.
The Deputy Registrar of MDCN, Dr Victor Kolawole, disclosed this at the Induction/Oath Taking Ceremony of the
2022/2023 Batch B Medicine and Surgery graduates of the Edo State University, Uzairue, on Friday.
Kolawole said, “Since inception in 1963, we presently have over 130,000 registered doctors in Nigeria.
“However, as you know because of the increase in migration of doctors out of the country, we have about 58,000
doctors who renewed their annual practice licence in 2023 and they are those that are fit to practice in Nigeria.”
He frowned at the current syndrome of doctors going abroad for greener pastures and appealed to the new medical
graduates to stay back and practice their profession in the country.
He said, “By this induction of 20 new doctors into the health workforce, we hope that other institutions will follow suit
even as the government said that the quota should be increased in all our training centres.
“However, the doctors must meet the requirements to earn those increases in quota.
“We will partner with them to ensure that they meet those requirements and as we try to ensure that, the standard must be upheld.”
He admonished the new medical practitioners to uphold the sanity of the profession and be law-abiding, as the council is
mandated to regulate the activities of practitioners as well as punish offenders.
In his welcome address, the Vice Chancellor of the institution, Prof. Emmanuel Aluyor, said the institution has facilities
to train medical personnel in the country.
