By Steve Oko

The Medical and Dental Council of Nigeria (MDCN) has issued a stern directive to newly qualified medical graduates, mandating them to complete their compulsory housemanship training within two years of registration or face a mandatory competency assessment.

MDCN Registrar Professor Fatima Kyari, who gave the warning during the induction ceremony of fresh medical doctors at Gregory University Uturu, said anyone who failed to meet the deadline “must prove continued competence to the Council or sit for and pass an assessment exam before proceeding.”

The Registrar, who was represented by the Head of the Department of Registration, Tijjani Mandaka, urged fresh medical graduates to secure placements immediately after obtaining provisional licenses, warning that expired licenses would automatically attract the assessment test.

“Housemanship training is a critical step in your professional journey. You are required to complete the housemanship within two years of your registration,” she said.

She urged graduates to secure placements immediately after obtaining provisional licenses, noting that expired licenses would also attract the test.

Kyari explained that housemanship lasts 12 months, covering all branches—Medicine, Surgery, Obstetrics and Gynecology, and Pediatrics—adding that it is required for full registration and eligibility for the National Youth Service.

She also cautioned against unethical conduct, stressing that any misconduct would be investigated and sanctioned.

Kyari commended the management of GUU for its efforts in training medical professionals while pledging continued partnership of the Council.

The registrar urged the fresh medical graduates to carry on their profession with utmost commitment and dedication.

“Medicine is a profession that demands not only knowledge and skills but also empathy and integrity. Please approach your practice with humility, kindness, and commitment to patients and their care.”

In his address read by the Vice Chancellor of Administration, Prof. Uwaoma Uche, the Founder of the university, Prof. Greg Ibe, charged the graduates to uphold the highest standards of medical practice, prioritize patients’ care, and contribute positively to the development of the health sector.

Reiterating that the establishment of the university was driven by his vision for massive human empowerment, particularly in the medical field, Prof Ibe expressed willingness to continue to invest in the education sector.

In a remark, the pro-chancellor of the university, Professor Augustine Uwakwe, reminded the graduands that they were transiting from knowledge acquisition to its application and charged them to handle their patients with care and empathy.

He also enjoined them to uphold the core values of the university—uncompromising integrity, compassionate service, innovation, and lifelong learning.

In her speech, the vice-chancellor, Prof. Cele Njoku, also advised the graduates to continue improving in their knowledge and to embrace technological innovation.

She charged them to strive for excellence and to treat their patients with respect and to be good ambassadors of the institution.

Congratulating the graduates for successfully enduring and navigating the rigors of their training, the VC reiterated the determination of the institution to provide quality training for medical personnel.

In a separate induction ceremony for medical laboratory graduates of the institution, the VC tasked the graduands on the accuracy of laboratory tests, as the consequences of a wrong diagnosis could be very devastating.

“The responsibility placed on you is enormous. The accuracy of your work directly impacts patients’ care and outcomes. “Uphold the highest standards of professionalism, integrity, and ethical conduct,” she advised.

The VC, who noted that medical laboratory science plays a critical role in health service delivery, pledged the commitment of the institution to producing globally competitive graduates.

Inducting the graduands, the acting registrar of the Medical Laboratory Science Council of Nigeria (MLSCN), Dr. Donald Ofili, charged them to adhere to ethical standards in the course of their practice.

The MLSCN boss, who was represented by Dr. Gregory Uchuno, challenged the graduates to make quality contributions that would improve the profession, which, he noted, “is very crucial for health service delivery.”

“Don’t exchange samples that will create problems for generations to come,” he cautioned.

Delivering a keynote address, Dr. Bernard Agumah of Alex Ekwueme Federal University Ndufu Alike, ‘Ebonyi State, decried the activities of quacks in the profession and called for a crackdown against the perpetrators, highlighting the danger they pose to society.

“People are dying of diseases that should have been cured because quacks gave wrong diagnoses,” he lamented.

In her valedictory speech, the best graduating student, Patricia Enugu, commended lecturers and management of the institution for giving them the best to excel.

She promised to contribute towards improving laboratory science practice in Nigeria.

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