By Ndidi Chukwu
In an effort to end quackery, the Federal Government has barred young doctors and dentists from going for National Youth Service Corps before obtaining Medical and Dental Council registration. The Medical and Dental Practitioner’s Act provisions said only those who are registered by the MDCN can legally practise medicine or dentistry in Nigeria, and called for the provision to be adhered to by all institutions. Registrar of the Medical and Dental Council of Nigeria, Dr. Abdulmumini Ibrahim, in a press conference in Abuja said “the council directed that the practise of admitting persons into NYSC as doctors on the strength of receipt of payment of application fee for full registration be discontinued”
He cited the practise as a means of breeding quackery in medical practise. The NYSC according to the MDCN have been informed of the development and decision implemented in since May during the orientation camp of the May 2015 batch that only fully registered doctors should be admitted into the scheme.
Ibrahim said Accredited Internship Training Centers were written informing them of this policy, “The doctors were informed to submit their duly completed and properly signed forms, at least one month to the date of opening of the orientation camp. Most did and have received their certificates of full registration. A few have problems with their postings which have to be clarified and rectified before their names could be entered into the register” he explained on the slow process of the registration complained by some of the doctors.
He said “it is very important to note that the registration is a process and is much more than payment of the registration fees, receipt is only an acknowledgement. It requires about four weeks on the average to complete the process. It would take months if there are discrepancies or issues in the applicant’s forms”
To move further, he explained that the council has however resolved to admit all those who have commenced their registration process but missed the October 28th camp, into the November 25th stream while the registration is being processed for those eligible before the close of orientation camp. “Those not eligible will wait for the next bath” Ibrahim said.
