Reconstitute MDCN board now, Postgraduate Medical College President urges FG

The president, National Postgraduate Medical College of Nigeria, Ijanikin, Lagos, Prof. Ademola Olaitan  has appealed to  President Muhammad Buhari to reconstitute the board of Medical Council of Nigeria (MDCN) saying the council had  operated without a board since the former board was dissolved over two years ago.

Speaking at the  pre-convocation press briefing  of the college earlier today, Prof. Olaitan said the reconstitution of the board would  allow the council to perform its statutory functions, which is crucial to the smooth running of medical services without hindrance.
He therefore appealed to the the Honourable Minister of Health, Prof. Isaac Adewole to present the matter before the president.
On the establishment of and construction of a clinical skill and simulation laboratory for the training of resident doctors, the professor disclosed that this has always received a priority attention in the college.
Disclosing that funding has been the major challenge, he said before now, the project was considered as that of the college and the ministry of health but “a new approach to get the ministers of health and education to jointly solicit support and sponsorship from the Federal Executive Council in the geo-political zone is being pursued.”
Olaitan also told journalists that while pursuing this option, the college would continue to look at the  possibilities of partnering with manufacturing companies and collaborating with existing Simulation and Skills Acquisition Centers internationally.
On the achievements of the college, he said a total of 386 fellows are convocating this year which  further shows that the college is not shirking  its responsibilities of fulfilling the mandate for which it was established.
“With  this number, the college has succeeded not only in saving the nation, this year as always in other years, millions of dollars that could have been spent on training had these new fellows trained outside Nigeria.”
Olaitan also disclosed that computation of the list of new fellows along with older ones proudly brings the total fellows produced by the college to 5,773, “and they are spread all over the nation and globally rendering selfless services in the academia, public services, private sectors, the armed forces and the police.
“As patriotic organ of government, college has helped in retraining needed manpower within the shores of the nation and in preventing human capital flight,” he further said.
On the activities for the 35th  convocation ceremony, the president said a joint award of diplomas to the second graduating set in family medicine and first in Anaesthesia would  hold tomorrow, September 14, at the college premises while the main convocation would take place on Thursday, September 21, 2017.