The Federal Government has set a target of increasing annual medical school admissions to about 20,000 within the next three years and announced plans to establish world-class medical simulation centres across Nigeria’s six geopolitical zones.
The Minister of Education, Dr Tunji Alausa, disclosed this on Sunday while receiving the report of the Tertiary Education Trust Fund (TETFund) Medical Simulation Committee.
According to a statement issued by his Special Adviser on Media and Communications, Ikharo Attah, the proposed centres will provide high-quality practical training for medical, dental, nursing, pharmacy and other allied healthcare students amid sharply rising enrolment in health-related programmes.
Alausa said annual admission into medical schools had increased from about 5,000 students when President Bola Ahmed Tinubu assumed office to almost 12,000 currently.
“Today, I’m happy to report that we’re admitting almost 12,000 students primarily now. Our goal in the next three years is to increase the number of annual medical student enrolment in medical school to about 20,000,” he stated.
He further revealed that nursing enrolment had risen dramatically from about 38,000 students three years ago to more than 120,000 across nursing schools in the country, while admissions into pharmacy and dental programmes had also doubled.
The minister described the expansion as a deliberate response to Nigeria’s healthcare workforce needs and the challenges posed by the “Japa” trend of professionals seeking opportunities abroad. He emphasised that increased enrolment must be matched with improved practical training infrastructure to ensure quality education.
Alausa said the initiative is aligned with President Tinubu’s Renewed Hope Agenda and the administration’s commitment to strengthening healthcare education and expanding the pipeline of qualified professionals.
He expressed appreciation to members of the TETFund Medical Simulation Committee for their work in advancing plans for the simulation centres, which are expected to deliver world-class hands-on training for students in medicine, dentistry, nursing, pharmacy and other allied health fields.