It was supposed to be their maiden meeting for the year, but it turned out to be an appraisal of the state of medical schools in the country. However, as far as they were concerned, the outdated medical curriculum and inadequate funding of medical schools in the country, which over the years had negatively affected their clinical training and the state of the association should change this year.

 

That was part of the deliberations of the National Executive Committee of the Nigerian Medical Students Association (NiMSA) last week during their meeting which took place at the main auditorium of the Lagos State University College of Medicine (LASUCOM), Ikeja. The four-day meeting was attended by no fewer than 40 presidents and general secretaries of Medical Students’ Association (MSA) from various universities.

 

The meeting was said to have been flagged off with the arrival and registration of delegate. While welcoming participants to the parley, NiMSA National President, Seriki Muritala commended the leaders for organising the congress, even as he reminded them that the future of medical practice lies in their hands and that of the students.

 

He urged them to nitiate programmes that would enlighten the public about the various disease ravaging the society, and their prevention as well as organise free medical outreach to help the people. Seriki, while stressing the need for the students to reduce the rate at which they go after social events, noted that their positive effects should be felt within and outside the campus.

 

He further reminded the leaders of the association about the need for them to deliver on the promises they made to the students before their election. It was the turn of the NiMSA General Assembly on the second day, which lasted over seven hours, where the leaders deliberated on issues affecting the association and medical schools in general.

 

At the assembly, the students resolved that the various presidents should bridge the gap between NiMSA and the medical students, through participation in NiMSA projects. Besides, the assembly also resolved that NiMSA will henceforth begin to work with the Medical and Dental Council of Nigeria (MDCN) with a view to ascertaining the true status of welfare package available to medical students.

 

 

Lamenting the inadequate funding and obsolete medical curriculum, which they noted were affecting their clinical training in medical school, the leaders resolved that a letter should be written to the Medical and Dental Council of Nigeria without further delay in order to review the curriculum.

 

Part of the communiqué issued at the end of the assembly said: “The medical curriculum is changing worldwide. This is coupled with the technological advancement and discoveries in medical sciences.

 

It is high time we had strong telemedicine in our curriculum, conference teaching, better equipment to learn, good accommodation and effective international exchange programmes.” Observing that international exchange programme has become a modern way of training medical students, the leaders said inadequate funding of the programme and irregularities in academic calendar with incessant strikes by the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) was hindering the programme.

 

The students, however, lauded the NMA and the Federal Government for effectively combating the spread of Ebola Virus Disease (EVD) in the country last year, even as they urged NMA to ensure a better health sector. On the challenges ravaging the health sector, they called on concern authorities to return to a round table in order to resolve such, saying there is the need for the government to increase funding of the health sector to discourage medical tourism.

 

The Provost of LASUCOM, Prof. G.O.G Awosanya urged the students to create a niche for themselves as medical professionals. The high points of the meeting were a cocktail party, visit to Elegushi Beach, media parley, training and football match between the host Medical School and the delegate.

 

Ogbemudia Uwoghiren