The Medical and Dental Council of Nigeria (MDCN) has begun updating its register of medical and dental practitioners, directing specialists nationwide to formally register their additional qualifications or risk losing official recognition of their specialist status.
The Registrar and Chief Executive Officer of the MDCN, Prof. Fatima Kyari, disclosed this on Wednesday at the 51st Annual General Meeting and Scientific Conference of the Ophthalmological Society of Nigeria (OSN) in Abuja.
Kyari said the updated master register, which she described as the backbone of ethical medical practice, would be published after the completion of the exercise.
She urged medical and dental specialists to ensure that all additional qualifications obtained through approved training programmes were registered with the council for proper documentation and recognition.
“All specialists to be so recognised as specialists must register their additional qualification,” Kyari said.
She explained that the MDCN had brought its registration facility to the conference venue to make it easier for practitioners to update their records and comply with the council’s requirements.
According to her, the council remains responsible for regulating the training, knowledge, skills, standards and practice of medicine, surgery and dentistry in Nigeria.
Speaking in her capacity as Chair of the International Agency for the Prevention of Blindness (IAPB) Africa, Kyari said Nigeria had continued to play an important role in advancing eye health globally.
Also speaking, the Commander, Nigerian Army Medical Corps, Brig-Gen. Innocent Alolo Enwuchola, said the Nigerian military had upgraded eye-care facilities across its hospitals and was investing in advanced training for medical personnel to bridge manpower gaps in ophthalmology.
Enwuchola, who delivered a goodwill message on behalf of the Nigerian Army, Navy and Air Force, said the military had established modern, well-equipped and technologically advanced eye-care centres across its reference and military hospitals.
He said the eye department of the 44 Nigerian Army Reference Hospital had recently been upgraded as part of efforts to strengthen specialist eye-care services.
According to him, the facilities provide services to military personnel and their families while also extending specialised eye care to neighbouring civilian communities.
The commander said the military had prioritised advanced training and specialisation of its medical personnel through internal capacity-building programmes, sponsorship of residency training and subspeciality exposure.
“With this, we ensure the continuous delivery of high-quality eye care services across our medical units and formations,” he said.
As part of the conference activities, the society is also expected to conduct more than 500 free cataract surgeries under a humanitarian outreach aimed at reducing avoidable blindness.
