In what officials describe as a strategic response to Nigeria’s deepening healthcare crisis, the Federal Government has announced plans to establish a military medical college aimed at helping bridge the country’s estimated shortfall of 340,000 doctors.
The proposed Armed Forces College of Medicine and Health Sciences is expected to operate within the structure of the Nigerian Defence Academy and will train medical professionals for both military and civilian service.
The announcement comes at a time when public hospitals across the country are grappling with severe manpower shortages. In many facilities, patients endure long waiting hours, overstretched doctors juggle overwhelming caseloads, and rural communities struggle to access basic medical care. The continued migration of Nigerian doctors to countries offering better pay and working conditions has only widened the gap.
Government officials say the new institution will focus not only on producing general medical doctors but also on training specialists in areas such as trauma care, emergency medicine, combat casualty management and public health. The intention, they explain, is to build a pool of professionals equipped to handle both conventional healthcare demands and the unique challenges faced by the Armed Forces.
Figures cited during the announcement indicate that the military currently has fewer than 200 medical personnel serving across its formations; a number considered inadequate for its operational needs.
Admission into the college is expected to be conducted through the Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board, in line with national tertiary education procedures. Students will undergo clinical training in accredited federal and military hospitals. Upon graduation, they are to be commissioned as captains in the Armed Forces.
A Technical Working Group comprising representatives from relevant ministries and regulatory bodies has been set up to oversee the planning process, including curriculum development and accreditation requirements. Officials suggest that, if preparations proceed as scheduled, the first batch of students could be admitted by late 2026.
Nigeria’s doctor-to-patient ratio remains far below global recommendations. Medical associations have repeatedly warned that the system is under immense strain, with burnout becoming common among practitioners. Beyond migration, stakeholders point to limited admission quotas in medical schools, infrastructure constraints and funding challenges as contributing factors.
By situating the new college within the framework of an existing institution, authorities say they hope to comply with the government’s moratorium on establishing new standalone universities while still expanding training capacity.
Health policy analysts, however, caution that increasing the number of medical graduates will only partly address the crisis. They argue that retention policies, improved working conditions and competitive remuneration must accompany any expansion in training to produce lasting results.
For now, the proposal signals an acknowledgement that Nigeria’s healthcare workforce gap requires more than incremental solutions. Whether the military medical college will significantly reduce the 340,000-doctor deficit remains uncertain. But in a sector where every additional trained professional can ease the burden on an overstretched system, the initiative is likely to attract both public interest and careful scrutiny in the months ahead.
I do not trust them...tinubu govt
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