The Senate Tuesday urged the Medical and Dental Council of Nigeria (MDCN) to allow Nigerian medical graduands from Ukraine and Sudan, where war did not affect academic activities to sit for MDCN exams in July and November without discrimination.
It also urged MDCN to work towardS the conduct of the MDCN exams in each geo-political zones of the country such as the Law Schools, to reduce the cost on the students and their parents.
The Senate resolutions were sequel to a motion sponsored to that effect by Senator Oyewumi Olalere ( PDP Osun West).
Senator Olalere in the motion titled: “Discrimination Against Medical Graduands from Ukraine by Nigerian Medical and Dental Council of Nigeria,” said the issue of medical graduates from Ukraine Universities has attracted the attention of National the Assembly since 2022.
He said in 2023, the House of Representatives and the Ministry of Health concluded with the Medical and Dental Council to allow the students that graduated from medical schools in Ukraine to participate in qualifying exam like other students, or at best, organise a make-up programme for them before the exam.
He said MDCN has slated a referral programme for the 2022 graduates alone at Federal Medical Centre, Gwagwalada, at the cost of N1.5 million per student to be paid in one and half weeks.
He added that concerned parents of the affected students had visited the National Assembly complex to lodge their complaints during the vacation of the Senate for extension of the deadline for payment to one month from one and half week.
He said since the war in Ukraine did not affect all the universities, especially, students in western parts of Ukraine, students who graduated from those universities in 2023 should be allowed to sit for MDCN exams henceforth without any hindrance.
