The Medical and Dental Council of Nigeria (MDCN) has said no university should admit physically challenged students into Colleges of Medical Sciences.
The directive was given yesterday by the registrar of MDCN, Dr Tajudeen Yusuf during a facility tour of Modibbo Adama University, Yola in Adamawa State to assess its level of preparations for the commencement of its College of Medical Sciences.
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Yusuf, who led other members of the council to the school, said they want the university to get it right from the start of studies at the College of Medical Sciences.
“Students have to be physically fit to withstand the challenges of studying medicine in the universities.
“We advise that no university should offer admission to physically-challenged students into Colleges of Medical Sciences. We have been embarrassed before, where a programme will commence and cannot last for more than six years.
“At times students end up spending 12-13 years without graduation. Most often than not, students put the blame on the doorstep of MDCN,” he said.
He stressed that, “People should always note that, in dealing with human beings, once lives are lost, they will not be recovered.”
The registrar lauded the facilities provided by the university for the college of medical sciences.
Earlier, the provost of the college, Prof Adamu Bakari Girei, appreciated the federal government for providing support for medical students.
Girei puts the cost of educating one medical student as equivalent to 10 students in other disciplines and promised the best for the 100 pioneer students.
The vice chancellor Professor Liman Tukur said the university deliberately targeted a medical college and went into it with seriousness and a very clear vision.
The vision, he added, led to the conversion of the institution from specialised one to a conventional university.