The minister of state for health Dr Adeleke Mamora has urged the striking resident doctors to call off their strike forthwith and return to the negotiation table .
The minister made the call during the induction ceremony organized by the medical and dental council for foreign trained medical and dental graduates in Abuja.
862 medical and 17 dental graduates who sat for and passed the assessment examination of the medical and dental council of Nigeria were sworn in at the medical council house Abuja .
The induction ceremony which took place in 3 batches because of the covid-19 was graced by the ministers for health, members of the MDCN, the FCT secretary of the Nigerian Medical association and friends and families of the inductees.
Speaking during the first batch of the induction, the minister of health, Dr Osagie Ehanire said the federal government is committed to providing accessible and affordable universal health coverage for all. According to him “The Federal Government envisions Universal Coverage of Healthcare making it accessible and affordable to all Nigerians, irrespective of social status. Today’s induction is significant in that 879 practitioners will be added to the group of medical personnel that are already working to actualise this vision.” He encouraged parents to ensure they only register their wards in accredited institutions to study medicine.
“I use this opportunity to advise parents who wish to study Medicine at home or abroad to ensure the schools are accredited institutions on MDCN website, the International Medical Education Directory (IMED) and World Directory of Medical Schools (WDoMS).”
During the second batch, the minister of state for health Dr Adeleke Mamora called on resident doctors to remember the Hippocratic oath and call off the strike while engaging the government in negotiations.
The chairman of the medical and dental council congratulated the graduands and charged them to discharge their duties Ethically. He said the problem of lack of places for housemanship has been resolved by making it central and urged graduands to visit the website to know suitable available hospitals to apply to. He further said a committee will be set up to do more to resolve issues surrounding the problem. The Chairman appealed to state governors yo improve facilities in at least I hospital in each senatorial district to increase places for housemanship.
The registrar,Dr Tajudeen Sanusi took the inductees through the ethics and expectations of the profession before administering the Hippocratic oath on them. He urged them to ensure commitment and consistency during the period of housemanship stressing that no intern is being owed their allowances except those not cleared by the CMDs of the hospital they are serving in.
Some inductees who spoke to Newsannex expressed joy at their successful induction and hopes for the future of medical practice in Nigeria.
They stated their willingness to work and contribute towards the growth of the health sector in Nigeria while urging the government to provide the necessary facilities and proper renumeration for medical staff to compliment their efforts.
A parent of an inductee, the Etsu of Kuje expressed joy at the induction of his daughter and commended the medical and dental council for their role in regulating the practice of the profession.
A total of 1017 medical students and 33 dental students sat for the exams who recorded 80% and 51% success respectively.
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