No fewer than 433 out of the 836 foreign-trained medical graduates who sat the qualifying examination organised by the Medical and Dental Council of Nigeria failed.

The qualifying examination was held at the Aminu Kano Teaching Hospital between November 22 and 23,2023.

The assessment for the foreign-trained medical graduates was in a Computer Based Test format with the graduates taking the examination in four different centres, namely:  BMG Institute of Information Technology; JAMB Professional Test Centre; Kano Cooperative CBT Centre and Treztech, all in Kano State.

The examination comprises a computer-based test, a picture-based test, and an objective structural clinical examination.

Findings showed that most of the medical and dental graduates performed poorly in the CBT.

In the list of shortlisted candidates obtained by our correspondent in Abuja, it was noted that a total of 836 candidates with medical degrees from foreign universities were shortlisted for the examination at the first instance.

The result of the examination, which was also obtained by our correspondent on Monday, revealed that only 403 passed.

Every year, thousands of Nigerians aspiring to become medical doctors and dentists enrol in foreign universities, spend a fortune on tuition and accommodation fees, and dedicate between four and seven years to pursuing the Bachelor of Medicine, Bachelor of Surgery course.

Among the favourite destinations for Nigerians studying medicine are Ukraine, Sudan, Cyprus, Egypt, The Caribbean, Russia, Belarus, India, Hungary, Guyana, Niger Republic, and Benin Republic. But on completion of their studies abroad, to get a licence to practise in Nigeria, they are required to pass the MDCN assessment.

The MDCN is the body that regulates the practice of Medicine, Dentistry, and Alternative Medicine in the country to safeguard the nation’s health care system.

The MDCN conducts the assessment twice a year. The examination tests the candidates’ ability to apply their basic medical sciences and clinical skills in a health care setting. In a recent interview with The PUNCH, the MDCN Registrar, Dr Tajudeen Sanusi, said the assessment examination was a global practice.