The Medical and Dental Council of Nigeria (MDCN) has dismissed reports suggesting that about 2,000 house officers are stranded without placement each year.

The council clarified that approximately 4,000 house officers are currently enrolled under the federal centralised housemanship scheme.

In a statement made available to The Guardian on Saturday in Abuja, the council said the claims were based on a misinterpretation of remarks made during its recent budget defence before the Senate Committee on Health at the National Assembly.

The MDCN explained that, in addition to the federal hospitals under the centralised scheme, there are 81 other accredited State Government, Military and Private hospitals that provide housemanship training. These institutions operate outside the federal centralised scheme but remain fully accredited and authorised to offer housemanship placements.

“It is therefore inaccurate to suggest that doctors outside the federal centralised scheme are ‘stranded’,” the statement said. “Accreditation by the MDCN ensures that these hospitals meet the required standards for training, and housemanship positions are available across these institutions nationwide.”

The council noted that a total of 129 hospitals across the country are accredited for housemanship training, adding that newly qualified doctors who wish to begin immediately have multiple placement options.

“Any delay experienced is typically related to individual preference for specific locations or institutions, particularly those under the federal centralised scheme, rather than a lack of available training positions,” it stated.

The MDCN further disclosed that during the budget defence, it advocated the expansion of the centralised housemanship scheme to include accredited non-federal hospitals. According to the council, this would promote equity in remuneration and access by allowing house officers in State, Military and Private hospitals to benefit from the federal funding framework currently applicable only to federal institutions.

Reaffirming its commitment to medical training and regulation, the council said it remains dedicated to ensuring that all eligible medical and dental graduates have access to quality housemanship training across Nigeria.

“We remain committed to transparency, accuracy, and the continued strengthening of Nigeria’s medical training and regulatory systems,” the statement added, urging the public and stakeholders to rely on verified information from the MDCN and disregard misleading interpretations that do not reflect the realities of housemanship training and placement in the country. (The Guardian)