Nigeria’s postgraduate medical college records ‘decline’ in fellowship applications

The National Postgraduate Medical College of Nigeria (NPMCN) says only four centres across the country will be used for its computer-based postgraduate fellowship examinations scheduled for September.

In a memo seen by TheCable on Wednesday, Oyenike Ekekezie, deputy registrar of the college, said the development is due to a “marked decline” in applications for the fellowship.

In July, when the NPMCN announced the commencement of registration for the fellowship examination, the college had said nine centres would be used.

However, in the recent memo, the college said only four centres would be used.

“As a result of the marked decline in applications for the Primary and Part I Fellowship Examinations, ONLY ABUJA, KANO, LAGOS AND ENUGU centers will be used for the September 2022 CBT examinations,” the memo reads.

“Primary CBT Examinations: Wednesday 21st September 2022, Part I CBT Examinations: Thursday 22nd September 2022.

“Therefore, candidates who had selected other centers for the September 2022 CBT examinations are to send ALTERNATE Centers from the four (4) above by email to [email protected] copy [email protected], copy [email protected].

“Email to be sent before 12midday of Friday 2nd September 2022, clearly stating Name, Faculty, Part of examination and Alternate center.”

The decline in applications may not be unrelated to reports of the increased migration of Nigerian doctors to other countries.

The Nigerian Association of Resident Doctors (NARD) had recently said six out of 10 doctors in Nigeria plan to leave the country.

Also, Ayotunde Fasunla, the chairman of the Nigerian Medical Association (NMA), Oyo chapter, had also recently said with the trend of medical doctors leaving the country, there may be a need to hire doctors from foreign countries in the future.

“Many of our hospitals are grossly under-staffed. Even the process of replacing migrating staff is bogged down by a rigid and insensitive government bureaucracy,” he said.

“It is our plea to the government to commit more funds to the health sector so that the system does not collapse.”