From Fred Ezeh, Abuja
No fewer than 469 foreign trained doctors and dentists failed the competence examination set by the Medical and Dental Council of Nigeria (MDCN).
MDCN explained that the examination was meant to test the competencies, knowledge and capacities of candidates before they are licensed to practice in Nigeria.
It insisted that every doctor-graduate from any foreign institution was expected to pass the examination, written and clinical, in order to be licensed to practice in Nigeria.
Chairman of MDCN, Prof. Waziri Abba, stated thuds at the induction ceremony of the foreign trained doctors who were successful in the examination, in Abuja.
He added that a total of 826 medical and dental candidates appeared for the examination, out of which 341 medical doctors representing 41.3 per cent and 16 dental surgeons representing 53.3 per cent passed, giving a grand total of 357.
He lamented that the overall percentage pass was lower than the previous one held in June 2020, at the University College Hospital, Ibadan, Oyo State.
He, however, reiterated the necessity of conducting the examination which was meant to assess the quality of medical and dental students trained outside the country. He confirmed that the examination was transparently conducted with the support of JAMB that handled the Computer Based Test (CBT) aspect of the examination.