By Chioma Obi
The President of the National Postgraduate Medical College of Nigeria, NPMCN, Dr. Peter N. Ebeigbe, on Wednesday said the College remains resilient in its mandate to train specialists despite the impact of brain drain on fellowship numbers.
Speaking at a pre-convocation press conference ahead of the College’s 43rd convocation ceremony, he announced that 480 new doctors will receive fellowships and other postgraduate awards this year.
Ebeigbe explained that this year’s awardees include 405 Fellows, 34 Doctor of Medicine recipients, 37 Diplomates in Family Medicine, four Distinguished Fellows, and four postgraduate diploma recipients in Anaesthesia and Public Health.
“Our graduands this year are a testament to the resilience and brilliance of Nigerian doctors, even in the face of adversity. Together, we can build a health system Nigerians can be proud of,” he said.
The College President noted that while the College has sustained its output of specialists, the trend of migration, popularly known as japa, has had a noticeable effect on postgraduate medical training.
“From the data available, while it is difficult to conclude that the steady drop caused by the ‘Japa syndrome’ has stopped, it appears that some stability in numbers may be setting in,” he said.
Records from the College show that fellowship awards peaked at 450 and 459 in 2019 and 2020, before dropping sharply to 310 in 2021. In recent years, the numbers rose again to 407 in 2023 but dipped to 338 in 2024.
Despite the challenges, Ebeigbe highlighted several milestones, including the expansion of postgraduate training programmes.“The Faculty of Emergency Medicine, our sixteenth faculty, has reached the stage where its first cohort of trainees will sit for their Part 1 Fellowship Examinations in October 2025,” he said.
Other innovations include the introduction of interventional radiology, nuclear medicine, interventional cardiology, pain medicine, and critical care medicine across various faculties. The College has also accredited over 200 training centres nationwide, expanding access to specialist training in underserved regions.
Ebeigbe also pointed to the College’s digital transformation.
“Much of our administrative, monitoring, evaluation, and assessment processes are now done in real time online. We conduct part of our examinations through secure computer-based testing across multiple centres nationwide,” he explained.
On international collaborations, he disclosed that the College is deepening partnerships with sister institutions in the UK, USA, and Africa. These include advanced discussions with five Royal Colleges and collaborations with the Ghana College of Physicians and Surgeons, as well as the East, Central, and South African College of Obstetrics and Gynaecology.
Despite economic challenges, the College President reaffirmed the institution’s commitment to innovation and relevance.
“We continually review our curricula to align with evolving healthcare needs and global trends, including telemedicine, genomics, and artificial intelligence in clinical care,” he said. Ebeigbe called on government, the private sector, and international partners to sustain support for postgraduate medical training in Nigeria.
“This convocation is not just about certificates and titles, but about the promise of improved healthcare for our people,” he stated.
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