The National Postgraduate Medical College of Nigeria has awarded diploma certificates to the first 367 general medical practitioners who have undergone 18-months training in its family medicine programmes.

 

At the 2015 pre-convocation press conference in Lagos, the President of the Postgraduate medical college, Prof. Rasheed Arogundade said the idea behind the introduction of courses in family medicine is predicated on the age-long desire of certain medical practitioners to render services in that area.

 

“The need for diploma certification in Family Medicine is predicated on the fact that it is almost impossible to get all doctors desirous of further training to enroll into the formal residency training programmes for specialist status by obtaining the fellowship.

 

 

“It therefore became imperative for the college to design other programmes, such as the diploma, to meet the real need of the general medical practitioners, who are the first line of medical contact with the Nigerian population,” Arogundade said.

 

The college president further expressed optimism that with the emergence of experts in family medicine, there would be improvement in the level and quality of healthcare delivery in the country.

 

Prof. Arogundade recalled that the graduation ceremony for 367 health experts was a product of long struggle by leadership of the institute.

 

He said though the effort paid off in 2005 when the college secured approval to run diploma course in family medicine.

 

By Nurudeen Oyewole

Daily Trust