Medical education reforms in Nigeria: Proposal for action

Abstract

Nigeria witnessed rapid expansion in the number and student enrolment of medical schools between the mid 70s and the 90s. Between the mid 80s and the 90s, several senior and experienced academic medical staff emigrated to Middle East, Europe and America because of the adverse socio-economic and political situation in the country. This, coupled with the deterioration in the infrasrtucture stretched the capacities of the medical schools to cope with the challenges of producing competent medical doctors for the society. This situation has underscored the need for changes and reforms in the medical education system in Nigeria. Medical education reforms in Nigeria will be in conformity with the views of World Federation for Medical Education, which has, since the Edimburgh Declaration of 1988, encouraged medical schools to introduce reforms that will enable them meet with the challenges of producing competent physicians for the 21st century. The aspects of medical education that need reforms have been suggested. They include the curriculum, learning strategies, staff development, student selection, assessment and evaluation. It is emphasised that through all these reform processes, medical education should be seen as a continuum, a life-long process of learning to maintain life-long competency in medical practice.

Keywords

• medical education
• nigeria
• curriculum reappraisal