The National Postgraduate Medical College of Nigeria (NPMCN) has certified 537 medical and dental specialists following its 44th Annual Convocation Ceremony in Ijanikin, Lagos.
The specialists completed postgraduate training and examinations across the College’s medical and dental faculties before receiving their Fellowship qualifications. The ceremony took place on Thursday, September 17, 2026.
537 Specialists Receive Fellowship Certification
The 537 Fellows represent specialists trained across the College’s established disciplines.
The NPMCN is Nigeria’s federal government-backed institution responsible for postgraduate medical and dental education, including specialist training, examinations, assessment and certification.
The College’s Fellowship is the professional qualification through which successful candidates are recognised as specialists in their respective fields.
The 2026 convocation also included the conferment of Doctor of Medicine degrees and post-Fellowship Diplomas on other successful candidates. Four senior Fellows were also recognised with Distinguished Fellowship for contributions to medical practice, education, administration and the development of the College.
Specialists Trained for Nigeria’s Health Needs
NPMCN President, Professor Anthony Ikefuna, said the College’s training programmes are designed around Nigeria’s changing socioeconomic and epidemiological conditions.
He said specialist training is intended to produce doctors capable of responding to the health challenges encountered within the Nigerian healthcare system.
The College’s programmes cover areas including anaesthesia, family medicine, emergency medicine, internal medicine, obstetrics and gynaecology, ophthalmology, paediatrics, pathology, psychiatry, public health and other medical and dental specialties.
The College currently has 17 faculties following the establishment of the Faculty of Radiation and Clinical Oncology.
New Oncology Faculty Targets Specialist Cancer Training
The new Faculty of Radiation and Clinical Oncology was one of the major developments highlighted during the 2026 convocation.
The faculty is intended to provide specialist training in cancer management, including radiation-based treatment, medicines and newer approaches such as immunotherapy.
Ikefuna said the new faculty would also support research into how advances in cancer treatment can be adapted to Nigeria’s healthcare environment.
The faculty was created as the College reviews its training programmes to respond to changing healthcare needs.
Its establishment does not itself mean that cancer treatment capacity has immediately increased nationwide. Rather, it creates a dedicated institutional structure for specialist training and research in radiation and clinical oncology.
Medical Training Faces Workforce Pressure
The convocation took place against the background of continued concerns about the migration of Nigerian doctors.
Ikefuna said economic conditions and other factors were contributing to doctors leaving Nigeria for opportunities abroad.
At the convocation, he called for a one-for-one replacement policy for doctors who leave the country, arguing that additional recruitment could help reduce the workload carried by doctors who remain in training and frontline healthcare services.
He also called for greater support for resident doctors, including measures to address workload and training pressures.
The College’s president said resident doctors face the dual responsibility of completing specialist training while also providing healthcare services to patients.
Rising Cost of Specialist Training
The College has also raised concerns about the cost of postgraduate medical examinations.
At the 44th Convocation, Ikefuna appealed to the Federal Government for greater financial intervention, citing increased expenses for examination logistics, materials, examiners’ allowances, accommodation, transportation and information technology.
According to reporting from the convocation, the College incurred a significant deficit during its most recent Fellowship examination.
The issue is particularly relevant because specialist training depends on examinations and assessment systems that require qualified examiners, training facilities and administrative infrastructure.
NPMCN Expands Digital Training
The College is also working on changes to postgraduate training and assessment.
Ikefuna said NPMCN is expanding the use of digital tools, including competency-based work assessments, electronic portfolios and telemedicine.
The proposed approach would allow residents’ training milestones and clinical competencies to be documented and monitored more systematically.
The College is also reviewing its postgraduate curricula periodically to keep training aligned with emerging health challenges.
Research Capacity Remains a Concern
The convocation also highlighted a wider challenge involving the relationship between medical training and research.
Professor John Oladapo Obafunwa, Director-General of the Nigerian Institute of Medical Research, raised concerns about the number of medically qualified researchers working in medical research institutions.
He said only seven of NIMR’s 59 research fellows are medically qualified, while five are Fellows of postgraduate medical colleges.
The figures were presented in the context of a need for stronger integration between clinical medicine and research.
Obafunwa called for greater development of physician-scientists and stronger collaboration between healthcare institutions and research organisations.
College Seeks to Strengthen Specialist Workforce
The certification of 537 specialists adds to Nigeria’s pool of doctors and dentists with advanced postgraduate qualifications.
However, certification alone does not resolve the wider workforce challenges facing the health system.
The College has simultaneously highlighted the need for more training capacity, stronger funding, improved working conditions and measures to address the migration of medical professionals.
The new oncology faculty and planned digital training reforms are part of the institution’s response to some of those challenges.
What the Convocation Means for Nigeria
The 2026 NPMCN convocation marks the completion of specialist training for hundreds of medical and dental professionals.
The newly certified Fellows join Nigeria’s specialist healthcare workforce at a time when the country is attempting to expand advanced medical services while dealing with shortages and the migration of healthcare professionals.
The longer-term impact will depend not only on how many specialists Nigeria trains, but also on the country’s ability to provide suitable facilities, funding, career opportunities and working conditions that allow specialists to practise and develop their expertise.
For the 537 newly certified specialists, the convocation marks the end of a demanding postgraduate training process and the beginning of another stage of professional medical practice.
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