‘Why medical professionals don’t need PhD to teach in teaching hospitals’//Most Recent Health News

 

President, National Postgraduate Medical College of Nigeria, Musa Muhammed Borodo

Amarachi Okeh

President, National Postgraduate Medical College of Nigeria, Musa Muhammed Borodo says it is mischievous for anyone to ask medical fellows teaching in the teaching hospitals across the country for a PhD certification.

Borodo, who is a professor of surgery at Bayero University, Kano, stated this on Thursday at the 39th convocation ceremony of the NPMCN in Lagos.

The graduation ceremony, which was conducted physically and virtually, brings the number of Fellows of the college to almost 7,000.

Borodo, who is the 21st president of the College, said the training undergone by the College Fellows at NPMCN can also be described as a PhD training.

Speaking, he said, “In the history of this country, these graduates we have been producing have been the ones that are employed in the universities as lecturers. They are professors.

“They do research and they train everybody. We find it most mischievous for people to come and start talking about a PhD.

“These clinical teachers don’t require a PhD. The training has a PhD component and more because they do research and dissertation.

“Those are the sort of things you do in PhD. The PhD will only help in some areas, but in terms of the condimental requirement of teaching in the university, it is an unfortunate thing and we do hope people will see reasons and stop the unnecessary tussle. It doesn’t take us anywhere.

“If you provoke these people and they leave, who is going to work in the universities?

“So, I think there are a few mischievous people but the great majority of the universities themselves, when they advertise for these positions, they don’t say that a PhD is a requirement and they clearly state that those who have medical fellowships are supposed to apply,” he said.

Borodo further noted that the graduates are well qualified to work in any health institution in Nigeria particularly the teaching hospitals and the federal medical centres. 

“They can also work in the universities as teachers to train doctors. They can also work in the research institute,” he added.

He appealed to the Nigerian Universities Commission and the Federal Ministry of Health and all other health bodies not to unnecessarily cause a problem which according to him is now arising from unionism.

Borodo also pleaded for state and federal teaching hospitals to be equipped with necessary facilities that would assist the learning and working of the doctors noting that the College approves only teaching hospitals that have a certain minimum level of facility and personnel.

Borodo enjoined the state governments and the federal governments to assist the teaching hospitals across the county.

In his address, the Minister of State for Health, Dr. Adeleke Mamora noted that the inability of doctors to gain a residency spot has led to unemployment and a mass exodus of medical professionals.

He, however, appealed to the medical doctors not to leave the country. 

“Over the years, the enrolment of resident doctors in the residency training programme is on the decline.

“Some persons already admitted into the programme are exiting to other climes while placement in the residency programmes have become difficult because many young doctors who deserve to enrol into the programme have not been given placement and the hospitals have limited vacancy.

“This situation has led to the young doctors who have passed the fellowship primary examination not being employed to commence training, thus leading to the exodus of young doctors to other climes.”

Mamora congratulated the graduates for their patriotism and appealed to them to stay back in the country and practice.

He assured the doctors that the Federal Government recognise the challenges facing the medical sector, adding that the government will confront them and also create a conducive environment for the practice of the noble profession of medicine.

The convocation lecture themed ‘Unyielding Drive: Concrete Obstacles to Rescuing the Health Sector in Nigeria’ was delivered by renowned neurologist, Prof. Sam Ohaegbulam.

In his lecture, Ohaegbulam called for more investment in the health sector, noting that the Federal Government should ensure there is a universal health insurance scheme for citizens.

“The government should be able to subsidize those who are unable to pay for their health subscriptions.

“As medical personnel, we should invest more energy into this advocacy. If we can convince our political leaders to please take this matter more seriously, I think we may succeed,” Ohaegbulam, who is the chief neurosurgeon at Memfys Hospital said.

As part of activities for the convocation ceremony, the NPMCN conferred a posthumous Distinguished Fellowship Award on the late Dr. Ameyo Stella Adadevoh, while the governor of Borno state, Dr. Babagana Zulum, and Alhaji Aminu Dantata also received honorary awards.