MDCN Visits ABUAD, Pledges Effort to Curb Medical Tourism

The Registrar of the Medical and Dental Council of Nigeria (MDCN), Professor Fatima Kyari, has disclosed that the council is working tirelessly to drastically reduce the culture of medical tourism among Nigerians.

She made the disclosure on Tuesday, 18^th November 2025 in Ado-Ekiti, the Ekiti State capital, during a reception organised for the MDCN accreditation team currently assessing the medical and dental facilities at the College of Medical and Health Sciences, Afe Babalola University (ABUAD).

Represented by the Deputy Registrar and Team Lead, Dr. Nnaemeka Nwakanma, she stated that the council was leaving no stone unturned to ensure that Nigerians who seek medical care abroad do so out of choice rather than due to deficiencies in the country’s medical training system.

While appreciating the warm reception accorded the team since their arrival at ABUAD, Dr. Nwakanma assured that the accreditation team would be thorough, objective, and committed to promoting quality, excellence, and professionalism.

“We are here to celebrate a growing vision. Last night, we were taken to what seemed like a dark room, only to open our eyes to an entirely new universe. ABUAD truly has facilities everywhere, and they keep emerging as though planted like trees.

Nigerian-trained medical doctors are highly sought after and rated globally because our training focuses more on holistic management of the human body rather than mere treatment of disease. There is a minimum threshold that every institution running medical and dental programmes must meet. As the regulatory body that insists on quality training in Nigeria, we expect to see all the requirements for producing excellent doctors here,” the team lead added.

In his response, the Founder and Chancellor of ABUAD, Aare Afe Babalola, OFR, CON, SAN, described medicine as a profession for geniuses.

“Dr. Nwakanma spoke so eloquently without notes — the same way Professor Fatima Kyari did when she visited. She delivered a detailed report in less than 20 minutes, leaving me amazed at the speed and brilliance,” the Founder remarked.

The revered legal icon described ABUAD Multi-System Hospital (AMSH) as the best in Africa and sought further counsel from the team on how to make the university’s medical programme second to none.

Acknowledging education as the foundation of his success, the renowned lawyer explained that he established ABUAD, a private non-profit university, specifically to reform education in Nigeria. He appealed for greater financial support for private institutions to enable them stay competitively relevant.

Earlier, the Vice-Chancellor, Professor Smaranda Olarinde, FCArb, FCAI, in her welcome address, highlighted ABUAD’s milestones in medical and health sciences, describing the MDCN visit as an opportunity for reflection, validation, and continuous improvement.

“With full accreditation from both the NUC and MDCN, as well as listing in the World Directory of Medical Schools, our programme is continually strengthened through regular curriculum reviews, faculty development, and robust assessment systems. We welcome this MDCN visit as an invaluable opportunity for reflection, validation, and further improvement,” she said.

The Provost of the College of Medicine and Health Sciences, Dr. Louis Odeigah, thanked the Founder and the MDCN team for their unwavering support, expressing optimism about the outcome of the accreditation exercise.

Meanwhile, the MDCN team consisting of leading medical professionals in the field of medical and health education from leading institutions in Nigeria arrived ABUAD on Monday 17^th November, 2025.