The National Postgraduate Medical College has admitted 477 graduands into the fellowship programme of the college.

 

Speaking at the 37th convocation ceremony of the college at the weekend in Abuja, President of the college, Da Lilly-Tariah, lamented that the number of candidates applying for the examination had been on the decline. He also lamented that some of the candidates already admitted into the residency programme are also exiting to other climes.

According to him, placement in the residency programme had become difficult, as many young doctors, who desired to enrol in the programme had not been offered places because most of the hospitals had limited spaces.

 

Lilly-Tariah, who noted that the development had led to a situation where intending young doctors, who had passed the fellowship primary examinations, were unable to be employed to commence training, pointed out that this has contributed to the exodus of young doctors to other countries.

 

He also explained that the Faculty of Obstetrics and Gynaecology had the highest number with 100 convokes, while the faculties of Paediatric and Internal Medicine had 59 and 51 respectively, just as Family Dentistry, ORL-HNS, and Anaesthesia had four, five, and seven apiece.