Buhari signs medical residency training act into law

President Muhammadu Buhari on Thursday signed two bills into law.

Ita Enang, senior special assistant to the president on national assembly matters (senate), said the bills are medical residency training act 2018 and the hydroelectric power producing areas development commission amendment act 2018.

According to Enang, the medical residency training act enacts and regulates the training of medical practitioners and dental surgeons.

He said the programme will be regulated and managed by the National Medical Post-graduate College of Nigeria.

“This programme is for persons who possess the Bachelor of Medicine and Bachelor of Surgery (MB.BSc, MB. CH, B, BDS), or its equivalent, who have gone through the NYSC programme with discharge or exemption certificate, and possess professional indemnity certificate from a reputable insurance company, among others,” he said.

“This Act is directed at assuring the quality and competence of medical practice and practitioners in Nigeria through statutory medical training programmes to encourage medical tourism from other countries to Nigeria and build further confidence in Nigeria’s medical system.

He said the amended hydropower act, No. 7 of 2010 reduced the derivation payable to the commission from 30 to 10 percent.

“The amendment further fortifies the power of the minister to issue policy directives as well as re-enforced statutory powers of the Nigerian Electricity Regulatory Commission (NERC) to regulate the electricity industry under the principal act,” he said.

“The amendment eliminates ambiguity in the law and role conflict of the responsible institutions as well as properly providing for the exercise of statutory powers of NERC which was established before now.”