Following
several Stakeholders' meetings in the last two years and as a prelude to the
formal release of the New Minimum Academic Benchmark (2015), proprietors of
Medical and Dental Schools in Nigeria (both current and prospective) are
requested to note the following implementing steps including relevant
adjustments relating to accreditation of Medical/Dental Schools.
1.
From 1st September 2015, both current and prospective proprietors of Medical
and Dental Schools should:
a.
Write a letter to the Executive Secretary stating their intent and provide relevant
information as available.
b.
On receipt, (if NUC has no obvious reasons to disqualify the application), they
would be sent a copy of the BMAS for MBBS/BDS and advised firmly to ensure that
they are strictly complied with.
c.
The setting up of medical schools is not an emergency exercise. To this end,
prospective proprietors must own and have in place (prior to a request for a
Resource Verification), a fully functional and well run tertiary type hospital.
In the circumstance of the above not being in place, consideration for an
affiliation with a tertiary government-owned institution may be given only when
the said university owns a medical institution fully functional with a minimum
of 150 beds and a rural health medical unit. (See Appendix 4 of the BMAS).
d.
A Pre-clinical Accreditation would be expected to take place within two years
of a positive Resource Verification. Students can only sit for the second MBBS
professional examination (Anatomy, Physiology and Biochemistry) when they have
a successful preclinical accreditation. The preclinical accreditation would,
amongst others, concentrate largely on the Department of Anatomy, Biochemistry,
Physiology, Pathology and Pharmacology and to a lesser extent, Community
Health. All evaluated departments must have the minimum requirements in terms
of academic staff, non academic staff and laboratory facilities. (See Appendix
3 of the BMAS)
e.
The Commission has now approved a Clinical Accreditation expected to take place
within twelve months of a successful preclinical accreditation. Subsequent to
that, a reaccreditation exercise will take place every five years.
2.
With respect to established medical schools, (and irrespective of their
accreditation status), it should be noted that only institutions that (by the
deadline of March 20th, 2016) have requested and obtained formal approval from
the National Universities Commission for a re-evaluation based on the following
considerations would be allowed to admit students into the MBBS/BDS programmes
from the 2016/2017 academic year:
a.
All Medical and Dental schools must have an approved, and appropriately
utilized, Clinical Skills/Simulation centre.
b.
Ensure strict adherence to the proper use of the course system for all approved
programmes in Nigerian Universities. The implication of the above is that a
particular programme (subject) is taught not only broken into cluster units of
1-4 but also have the components of university supervised examinations. For
clarity, current end of posting examinations (practiced by some medical/dental
schools) that neither have units allocated nor follow the standards of a
University examination, do not conform to the Minimum Academic Standards as established
by the National Universities Commission.
c.
Universities are strongly urged to immediately review their current methods of
teaching medical and dental students to include more tutorials, self study
group teaching, use of IT in the delivery of courses and simulation/competency
based evaluations that must be signed by a lecturer not below the status of a
senior lecturer. It must be noted that the confirmation of a successful
simulation/competency based evaluation should be a mandatory requirement before
the students are eligible to sit for the various professional/sessional
examinations
3.
Proprietors are urged to note the Essential Component changes of the new
curriculum expected to be in use from the 2016/2017 academic session. Details
of these changes are available in the New Minimum Academic standards booklet
and at the National Universities Commission website. (www.nuc.edu.ng.) Major components
include the following:
(a)
The approval of three alternative models viz;
i.
A seven year MBBS/BDS programme that encompass a mandatory seamless four-year
acquisition of the B.Sc. (Basic Medical Science) with interest in either
Anatomy/Physiology/Biochemistry. At the end of seven years, students would have
acquired the Bachelor of Basic Medical Science, Bachelor of Medicine and
Bachelor of Surgery degrees. In case of the dental programmes, the students
would have acquired a degree in Basic Dental Science and Bachelor of Dental
Surgery.
ii.
In order to allow for career change for interested non-medical health professionals,
the Commission has also approved a four year programme leading to MBBS/BDS for
interested and qualified graduates of Nursing, Pharmacology, Physiotherapy,
Image Science, Paramedics, Anatomy, Physiology, Biochemistry and Pharmacology.
It must be noted for such to be considered for admission they must have at the
WAEC/NECO levels minimum credit scores in Mathematics, English, Physics,
Chemistry and Biology at one sitting, prior to the admissions for their first
degrees. They must also have a good CGPA.
iii.
Admission into universities based on the current six year programme would be
allowed to continue as suitable alternative based on the discretion of the
University.
iv.
It should be noted and emphasized that all the above degrees have the Bachelor
appellation as they remain undergraduate programmes.
(b)
Specific periods of posting to the department of Family Medicine. The obvious
implication here is that, the Universities should create the Department of
Family Medicine following their due process.
(c)
Redesignation of the Department of Pharmacology to the Department of
Pharmacology and Therapeutics. The department is now expected to provide
relevant basic clinical teaching and conduct relevant professional examination
in Pharmacology. They will also be expected to provide relevant clinical
teaching in Therapeutics. All Universities should set in motion the machinery
to achieve the above.
4.
In view of the above essential component changes of the new curriculum, the
Commission will be organising a National training for Medical teachers in
Nigerian Universities. Details of the training would be made available shortly.
5.
Interested stakeholders are invited to send comments/suggestions on the above
to: The Executive Secretary, NUC, rasheed3h@gmail.com and copy to chiedu.mafiana@gmail.com. (NUC)
The Federal Government plans an education advocacy program for school-aged children displaced in the North East States of Borno, Adamawa and Yobe.
