NPMCN President Anthony Ikefuna calls for government support for specialist training, warning that rising examination costs and doctor migration are straining the system
By Bunmi Yekini
Nigeria’s National Postgraduate Medical College is seeking greater government funding for specialist medical examinations as rising costs and the migration of doctors place additional pressure on the country’s postgraduate training system, its president said on Thursday.
Anthony Ikefuna, President of the National Postgraduate Medical College of Nigeria (NPMCN), said the cost of conducting Fellowship examinations had risen sharply, leaving the college with a significant deficit after its most recent examination.
The expenses include logistics, examination materials, examiners’ allowances, simulators, information technology support, accommodation and transportation, he said in his address at the college’s 44th convocation ceremony in Lagos.
The college currently finances the examinations largely through candidates’ examination fees, a model Ikefuna said was becoming increasingly difficult to sustain.
He appealed to the federal government to intervene, particularly with new Duty Tour Allowance rates scheduled to take effect from Oct. 1, 2026.
“These expenses … have increased sharply, placing enormous pressure on the finances of the College,” Ikefuna said.
The funding challenge comes as the college also grapples with the loss of doctors who leave Nigeria for better remuneration and working conditions abroad.
Ikefuna said the departure of resident doctors leaves those who remain with heavier workloads, potentially affecting mentorship and contributing to burnout.
While saying the exodus could not necessarily be stopped, he proposed a one-for-one replacement policy for doctors who emigrate, alongside workload restructuring and workforce strengthening.
He also called for increased enrolment of resident doctors in postgraduate programmes and psychological support to help address pressures associated with specialist training.
The college is meanwhile moving to expand digital technology in postgraduate education and assessment, including competency-based work-based assessments, electronic portfolios and telemedicine.
Ikefuna said digital platforms could allow trainers to track residents’ progress in real time and provide faster feedback than traditional manual assessment systems.
The college also plans to strengthen simulation-based training, with Ikefuna calling for clinical simulation laboratories at the college and designated centres in Kano, Enugu and Abuja.
He said access to high-fidelity simulation equipment would improve clinical skills, decision-making and competency assessment before doctors qualify as specialists.
The college has already begun using advanced simulation technology in ophthalmology. Ikefuna said an Eyesi high-fidelity simulator, described by the college as the first of its kind in West Africa, had been acquired to support training in cataract and vitreoretinal surgery.
The NPMCN is also expanding its academic programmes.
Ikefuna announced the establishment of a new Faculty of Radiation and Clinical Oncology, the college’s 17th faculty, which emerged from its Radiology faculty and is expected to train specialists in cancer care involving radiation and medications.
He said the new faculty would also be expected to contribute to research into advanced imaging and cancer treatment.
The college is also pursuing a PhD programme for clinicians after receiving approval from the National Universities Commission to proceed with the application.
Ikefuna said the proposed PhD would operate as a pre-Fellowship programme alongside the college’s existing Doctor of Medicine degree.
Since the MD programme began in 2020, about 473 people have received the degree, while more than 55 recipients are expected to receive it at the 2026 convocation, he said.
The college is also seeking to draw on the expertise of Nigerian specialists abroad through collaborations and a merit-based Fellowship programme.
Ikefuna said the initiative was intended to bring advanced skills and experience from Nigerian doctors overseas into postgraduate medical training at home.
He also announced ongoing engagement with the African Medical Centre of Excellence, developed by Afreximbank in collaboration with King’s College Hospital, London, to provide trainees with access to specialised clinical expertise.
The Coordinating Minister of Health and Social Welfare, Muhammad Ali Pate, represented by the Director of Hospital Services, Abisola Adegoke, commended the college for its contribution to training medical specialists.
Pate urged the graduating Fellows to maintain professionalism, integrity, compassion and lifelong learning, saying their expertise should support efforts to improve the quality, accessibility and resilience of healthcare delivery in Nigeria.
The 44th convocation marks another stage in the college’s efforts to combine specialist training with new technologies, simulation, research and international collaboration as Nigeria seeks to strengthen its medical workforce.