The College Profile

The National Postgraduate Medical College of Nigeria was formally established by the National Postgraduate Medical College Decree No. 67 of 24th September, 1979 as a body corporate with perpetual succession and a common seal. The first sets of Associate Fellows were enrolled in 1972 and foundation Fellows of the College were admitted at the first Convocation in 1982.

The College has the responsibility for the conduct of professional postgraduate examination of candidates in the various specialized branches of Medicine and Dentistry, and making awards in relations thereto.

The Governing Board of the College has the responsibility for “the general control and superintendence of the policy, finances and property of the College including its public relations”, while the Senate has the responsibility for running of the academic affairs of the College.

The College is therefore the apex institution in the country for the production of specialist in Medicine and dentistry. Its trainees are medical doctors and dentists who are products of undergraduate training in the universities.

The National Postgraduate Medical College of Nigeria started as a small unit at the College of Medicine, University of Lagos before relocating to another office along Moshood Abiola Way, Apapa Road, Ebute Metta, Lagos.

However, as a result of expansion there was the need to acquire a more spacious and more befitting corporate office. The College therefore relocated to its permanent site at KM 26, Badagry Expressway, Ijanikin, Lagos in 1997.

The College, aside from its permanent site also has Liaison offices at Abuja and the College of Medicine, University of Lagos, Idi-Araba, Lagos.

The functions of the College include but are not limited to the following:

A. The accreditation of training institutions for professional postgraduate training of doctors and dentists (the periodic publication of a list of such accredited institutions).
B. The organization of professional postgraduate training programmes and development of curricula as well as the conduct of update courses for training in the various specialized branches of medicine and dentistry, as represented by the various faculties of the College.
C. The conduct of professional postgraduate examinations for candidates in the various Faculties.
D. Organization of one year (Clinical Attachment) training abroad for qualified resident doctors
E. Carrying out any other activities necessary in the furtherance of postgraduate medical education and quality healthcare in Nigeria.

A. The College has since its inception produced 4000 medical and dental specialists. These specialists who are world acclaimed are the ones who are manning the different tiers of healthcare delivery facilities and medical training institutions all over the country, other parts of Africa, Europe, Middle East and USA. These specialists are also the lecturers in clinical Medicine and Dentistry in the College/Faculties of Medicine and Dentistry in our Universities.

B. Prior to the establishment of the College, all medical postgraduate training was done abroad. The financial burden of that arrangement was enormous and if that were to continue till the present day, the cost would have become unbearable. The College has saved the nation billions of Naira over the years, which could have been spent in training these medical specialists if they have had to be trained entirely overseas, thus making their services available to the country even when still in training.

C. The College regularly provides continuing professional development in medicine and dentistry through seminars, conferences, workshops, and other specialized training programmes on all aspects of health care delivery.

D. College Journal – The Nigerian Postgraduate Medical Journal is an international publication of the College; one of the few journals in Nigeria found in Index Medicus.

E. Creation of more Examination Centres. The Senate has established additional Centres for Fellowship Examinations in the six geopolitical Zones, at present the College has ten Primary Fellowship Examination Centres, viz Benin, Calabar, Enugu, Jos, Kaduna, Kano, Lagos, Maiduguri, Owerri and Ile - Ife.

F. The College continues to offer specialist advice and services to Federal, State and Local Governments and other stakeholders in the health care industries in Nigeria.

G. The College has been fully computerized and has internet service. The website is www.npmcn.edu.ng.

H. A traveling Fellowship Scheme has been set up. This gives support to Trainees and young Fellows to attend conferences and undertake short periods of attachments locally and abroad.

A. The most daunting challenge facing the College is under-funding by the Federal Government. The College is placed in the same directorate as the Teaching and Specialist Hospitals and the Federal Medical Centers, but these other institutions are given much more attention than the College.

B. The location of the College at Ijanikin along Badagry Expressway, far away from the city centre with its traffic congestion and bottlenecks at several points, makes access difficult.

C. Inadequate social infrastructures. The College lacks running tap water from the municipal waterworks and therefore depends on a single borehole. Furthermore, electricity supply from Power Holding Corporation is erratic and this has made the College to rely solely on a 220KVA generator which is being run and maintained at a great cost to the College.

D. The College Library is poorly stocked going by the fact that it ought to be the best reference Medical Library in the country for the residents and Consultants.

E. The College museum is yet to be fully developed with shelves and specimens for Anatomic Pathology.

F. Inadequate fund had hindered the circulation of the College journal which is one of few such journals in Nigeria found in the index medicus.

G. The one year clinical attachment abroad was one of the College Training Programmes at inception, designed to give successful Part 1 candidates exposure to facilities and practice in countries of the Northern hemisphere. It was formally funded by the Federal Ministry of Health with assistance form the British Council for placement abroad.
However, due to lack of funds, this laudable programme has been suspended.

H. The College lacks a property deserving of its status in Abuja. The College is currently using a rented property as its Liaison office and seeks funding from Government and other benefactors to provide a structure with the following features. - Offices (at least 8) - Seminar Rooms - At least 20 standard rooms for use by Fellows and course participants - Resource centre with Internet facilities - Board Room - Restaurant

I. Master Plan: Only one out of the 4 blocks in the master plan has been built. In order to create room to accommodate all the departments of the College, there is the pressing need to complete all the buildings in the master plan. College seeks Government and Private sector assistance in the complete execution of this master plan.