The Federal Government has outlined plans to establish top-tier medical simulation centers across Nigeria’s six geopolitical zones as it aims to boost yearly medical school intake to 20,000 within three years.
The initiative forms part of measures to expand the country’s health workforce and enhance practical instruction for medical and allied health trainees amid ongoing worries regarding the brain drain of Nigerian-trained health personnel.
The Minister of Education, Dr. Tunji Alausa, revealed this upon receiving the report from the Tertiary Education Trust Fund Medical Simulation Committee.
The announcement was detailed in a statement issued Sunday by the Office of the Minister of Education, signed by Ikharo Attah, Special Adviser on Media and Communications to the minister.
Alausa noted that the projected centers will deliver high-quality clinical simulation for medical, dental, nursing, pharmacy, and other health science students.
He said, “I would like to thank the members of the committee that have worked so hard and assiduously to get us to this point in which we are now talking about building several simulation centres across the country to provide world-44class training for our medical students, dental students, nursing students, pharmacy students and other allied healthcare professionals.”
According to the minister, the facilities will be positioned across all six geopolitical regions to reinforce the Federal Government’s policy to grow Nigeria’s health sector capacity under President Bola Tinubu’s Renewed Hope Agenda.
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Alausa stated that scaling up capacity had become vital owing to the sharp rise in admissions into health-related disciplines.
He revealed that nursing enrollment, which hovered around 38,000 three years ago, has now surged past 120,000 trainees across nursing institutions nationwide.
The minister added that yearly admissions into medical schools have expanded from roughly 5,000 trainees when Tinubu took office to nearly 12,000 presently.
“Today, I’m happy to report that we’re admitting almost 12,000 students. Our goal in the next three years will be to increase the number of annual medical student enrolment in medical schools to about 20,000,” he said.
He noted that intake figures for pharmacy and dental faculties have similarly grown.
The minister praised the Chairman of the Medical Simulation Committee, Dr. Wale Suleiman, alongside other members, for their efforts in drafting the report and driving the project forward.
He remarked that the intervention will ensure the expanding volume of health profession candidates receives adequate hands-on preparation.
The proposed expansion unfolds against a backdrop of persistent anxiety surrounding the outward migration, commonly termed “Japa,” of Nigerian doctors, nurses, and allied professionals seeking enhanced pay, better working environments, and professional advancement abroad.
This exodus of clinical personnel has triggered alarm among professional guilds and healthcare practitioners concerning its strain on Nigeria’s already overburdened health infrastructure, particularly acute manpower shortages in public tertiary facilities.
Through these planned simulation hubs, authorities aim to broaden instructional capacity while upgrading the caliber of practical learning for an enlarging body of health science students.
Alausa characterized the initiative as proof of the administration’s resolve to elevate education standards and cultivate the talent pool necessary for Nigeria’s future demands.
He said, “President Bola is committed to providing the best and the highest quality of education to every child in this country.
“We are seeing it; we are seeing the result now. It’s another manifestation of President Bola’s fervent and benevolent belief in the progress and benefit of the future of Nigeria.”
