In pursuance of its mandatory one year abroad
study programme Nigeria's apex medical college the
National Postgraduate Medical of Nigeria (NPMCN)
has awarded travel fellowship grants to several of its
Fellows and associate fellows, just as it gears up to
host the 2007 annual scientific conference in Nigeria.
The conference which comes up in Abuja later
in the year has as its themes
"Health reforms and financing in the new millennium"
and would be attended by fellows associate fellows as
various friends of the college from Nigeria and the
world at large.
President of the College Professor Olukayode Jeboda
said the travel fellowship grants is part of the
College's original programme which creates an
opportunity for fellows and Associate fellows of the
College to embark on a one year study programme
abroad, which would in turn boost their experience as
well as exposure on the medical profession.
According to him the programme ought to be
originally sponsored by the Federal government but
this not to be as the government as always pleaded
unavailability of the funds as the major constraint
mitigating against government's consistent financing
of the scheme.
"It is ideal to continue to improve on the level
of education, and both Fellows and associate fellows
are qualified to apply for these grants as it is only
meant to assist them on the very important trip.
"Under normal circumstance government should
be the one to provide this grants, but then it wasn't
forthcoming and we on our part realize the importance
of this scheme to the development of the medical
profession, so we in the college then decide to map
an avenue where grants could be offered to individuals
who are qualified to embark on this trip no matter
how paltry it is we believe it could still help in
one way or the other during the course of their
journey."
The College which is the highest citadel of
learning in the medical profession of Nigeria has
several challenges. We should at this scientific age
be able to run a library where virtually every aspect
of the medical profession would be covered, something
like a world-class medical library, such that
foreigners would also think of coming down here for
research projects.
Our building is still far from completed, as only
about a quarter of the original plan has been
completed.
These are challenges we sincerely hope the government
would help us combat, he enthused.
The College however affirmed that this year's
annual scientific conference promises to be
interesting, as it would address core areas in the
health sector, which includes e-health, challenges
of the Millennium Development Goals.
On the conference, Anita Obong a professor and
Registrar of the College said: "We hope to have fellows
from within and outside the country attend this
conference as it presents an avenue of high
deliberations on the successes and failures of the
college even as it affects the health sector in
Nigeria as a whole."
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