The Medical and Dental Council of Nigeria (MDCN) has disclosed that no fewer than 2,000 newly qualified medical doctors are stranded every year due to insufficient housemanship placement slots across the country. The revelation was made during an engagement with the Senate in Abuja, where the council outlined challenges affecting medical training and manpower development in Nigeria’s health sector.
Officials of the MDCN explained that housemanship, which is a compulsory one-year internship for newly graduated doctors, remains a critical requirement before full registration and independent medical practice. However, the number of accredited training centres has not kept pace with the growing output of medical graduates from universities, leading to a persistent gap between demand and available placement slots.
The council noted that Nigeria currently produces thousands of medical graduates annually from public and private universities, but many of them are unable to secure housemanship positions immediately after graduation. As a result, a significant number of young doctors remain idle for extended periods, delaying their professional development and entry into the healthcare workforce.
According to the MDCN, the situation has serious implications for the country’s health system, particularly at a time when Nigeria is facing a shortage of medical personnel. The council warned that the delay in housemanship placement discourages young doctors and contributes to the growing trend of medical professionals seeking opportunities abroad.
During the briefing, the MDCN attributed the shortfall in housemanship slots to limited funding, inadequate infrastructure, and the uneven distribution of accredited hospitals across the country. Many existing training institutions, the council said, lack the capacity to absorb additional interns due to space constraints, staffing shortages, and insufficient equipment.
The council also informed lawmakers that some hospitals capable of supporting housemanship training are yet to be accredited, largely due to their inability to meet required standards. It emphasized that improving these facilities would require significant investment from both federal and state governments.
Senators at the session expressed concern over the findings, noting that the country could not afford to waste trained medical talent given the persistent challenges in the health sector. They observed that the inability to absorb young doctors into the system undermines efforts to strengthen healthcare delivery, particularly in underserved and rural areas.
Lawmakers were told that the backlog of housemanship placements has also created increased competition among graduates, with many waiting months or even years before securing a position. This delay, the MDCN said, affects morale and can erode clinical skills gained during medical school.
The council further highlighted the link between the housemanship bottleneck and the ongoing brain drain in the medical profession. It noted that prolonged waiting periods and limited career progression opportunities push young doctors to seek alternative pathways, including migration to countries with more structured internship and residency systems.
In response, senators called for urgent policy interventions to address the situation. Suggestions raised during the discussion included expanding the number of accredited training centres, upgrading selected general and specialist hospitals, and improving funding for medical education and training.
The MDCN urged the Senate to support legislative and budgetary measures that would enable more hospitals to qualify for housemanship training. It also stressed the need for collaboration between federal and state governments to ensure that training opportunities are expanded nationwide.
The council maintained that resolving the housemanship gap would not only benefit young doctors but also improve access to healthcare services. With more interns deployed across hospitals, patient care would improve, and the burden on existing medical staff would be reduced.
As the Senate considers the issues raised, the disclosure has renewed attention on structural challenges within Nigeria’s medical training system. Stakeholders say addressing the shortage of housemanship slots is critical to retaining medical talent, strengthening the health workforce, and improving healthcare outcomes across the country.
