Medical Council Reports 2,000 Newly Qualified Doctors Lack Housemanship Placements Each Year

Every year, approximately 2,000 newly qualified medical practitioners in Nigeria find themselves without housemanship placements due to the constraints of the country's centralized system.

The Medical and Dental Council of Nigeria (MDCN) voiced this concern to the Senate on Friday, highlighting the issues of manpower waste and a deepening brain drain within the healthcare sector.

During the budget defense for 2026 before the Senate Committee on Health in Abuja, the Registrar of the Council, Dr. Fatimah Kyari, shared these alarming statistics.

Dr. Kyari indicated that while Nigerian medical schools graduate around 6,000 doctors each year, the Centralised Housemanship Scheme has the capacity to accommodate only 4,000 of them.

This disparity has led to a backlog of young physicians who cannot undertake their mandatory housemanship training, a problem that necessitates immediate policy action.

Kyari stated, "Each year, approximately 6,000 medical doctors emerge from various medical institutions, but the centralized housemanship system can accept only 4,000, resulting in around 2,000 doctors without placements every year."

She called upon lawmakers to aid in expanding the program by incorporating state-owned and privately operated hospitals.

The goal, according to her, is to enable all newly qualified doctors to be placed simultaneously, alleviating the delays that often drive young professionals to seek opportunities overseas.

"To accommodate all 6,000 doctors annually, it is essential to engage state and private hospitals in the centralized housemanship system," she emphasized.

Kyari cautioned that failing to address the placement gap would perpetuate the medical brain drain, as frustrated graduates turn abroad for training and career advancement.

Besides the challenges with manpower, the MDCN registrar also highlighted financial constraints affecting the Council's operations, indicating that inadequate funding hampers its regulatory duties.

She pointed out that although N1.2 billion was allocated for the MDCN's capital expenditure in the 2025 fiscal year, no funds had been disbursed.

Furthermore, she noted that only N37.5 million was released from the N100 million designated for overhead expenses.

In terms of personnel costs, Kyari mentioned that N13.859 billion was issued from a budget of N16.8 billion earmarked for staff expenses in 2025.

While this was deemed an improvement, the overall funding still fell short for the effective oversight of medical and dental practices throughout the country.

She added that the Council, similar to other health sector regulators, is struggling to fulfill operational needs amid mounting expectations and workforce stresses.

In response, Senator Ipalibo Banigo (Rivers West), who chairs the Senate Committee on Health, acknowledged the challenges presented by the MDCN and promised legislative support.

Banigo affirmed that the committee would collaborate with pertinent authorities to tackle funding gaps and explore policy measures to widen housemanship opportunities, particularly through partnerships with both public and private health institutions.

She stressed the importance of resolving the housemanship dilemma to enhance Nigeria’s healthcare framework and retain medical talent in the country.