The minister of education, Dr Tunji Alausa, has set a target of increasing annual medical student enrolment to about 20,000 within the next three years, as part of efforts to expand Nigeria’s healthcare workforce and improve the quality of professional training.

Alausa disclosed this while receiving the report of the Tertiary Education Trust Fund (TETFund) Medical Simulation Committee, announcing plans to establish world-class medical simulation centres across the country’s six geopolitical zones.

The centres are expected to provide practical training for medical, dental, nursing, pharmacy and other allied healthcare students amid rising enrolment in health-related programmes.

Alausa said annual admission into medical schools had increased from about 5,000 when President Bola Ahmed Tinubu assumed office to almost 12,000, while nursing enrolment had risen from about 38,000 three years ago to more than 120,000.

“Today, I’m happy to report that we’re admitting almost 12,000 students primarily now. Our goal in the next three years is to increase the number of annual medical student enrollment in medical school to about 20,000,” he stated.

He said the expansion made investment in practical training infrastructure imperative, noting that pharmacy and dental admissions had also doubled.

“I would like to thank the members of the committee that have worked so hard and assiduously to get us to this point in which we are now talking about building several simulation centres across the country to provide world-class training for our medical students, dental students, nursing students, pharmacy students and other allied healthcare professionals,” the Minister said.

Alausa said the initiative was aligned with Tinubu’s Renewed Hope Agenda and commitment to strengthening healthcare education.

“This person, President Bola Tinubu, is committed to providing the best and the highest quality of education to every child in this country,” he said.

“We are seeing it, we are seeing the result now. It’s another manifestation of President Bola Tinubu’s fervent and benevolent belief to the progress and benefit of the future of Nigeria,” he added. (Weekend Trust)