ESUT Inducts 38 New Medical Doctors
The College of Medicine of Enugu State University of Science and Technology has inducted 38 newly qualified medical doctors, with senior academics and medical regulators urging the graduands to uphold professionalism, humility and ethical standards in medical practice.
The induction ceremony, held on Wednesday in Enugu, marked the institution’s 16th Batch B induction exercise, during which the graduates were formally admitted into the medical profession after taking the Hippocratic Oath administered by the Registrar of the Medical and Dental Council of Nigeria, Professor Fatima Kyari, who was represented by the council’s Assistant Registrar, Mr Tijani Mandaka.
Addressing the new doctors, Professor Kyari urged them to maintain cordial working relationships with other healthcare professionals and avoid arrogance in the discharge of their duties.
“Do not be arrogant. Respect everybody in the hospital, especially nurses. If you are humble, you will learn a lot from other professionals in the healthcare system,” she said.
She advised the inductees to commence their mandatory one-year housemanship immediately after obtaining provisional licences from the council, warning that the provisional registration certificates remain valid for only two years.
According to her, any doctor who fails to complete the housemanship within the stipulated period could be required to sit for another professional assessment examination before continuing practice.
Professor Kyari also reminded the newly inducted doctors of the need to renew their practising licences annually and adhere strictly to the ethical code guiding the medical profession.
Speaking at the ceremony, the Provost of the College of Medicine, Professor Uchenna Ekwochi, described the institution as one of Nigeria’s leading medical colleges, citing its academic structure, clinical training system and students’ performance record.
“We are training properly and our products are showing it everywhere in the world. Wherever they are, they are representing us very well,” he said.
Professor Ekwochi said the institution’s unique structure, where lecture halls, hostels and teaching hospital facilities are situated within the same environment, has continued to enhance uninterrupted academic and clinical learning.
He disclosed that the college recently recorded eight distinctions in Medical Biochemistry during the Second MBBS examinations, while emphasising that discipline remains a core value of the institution.
“If you mess up, we will show you the way out,” he warned, revealing that 14 students had previously been dismissed over poor academic performance and misconduct.
The provost encouraged the newly inducted doctors to embrace diligence, humility and professional specialisation, while also paying attention to their personal health and appreciating the sacrifices made by their families throughout their medical education.
He further appealed for increased support from government agencies, private organisations and corporate bodies to improve infrastructure, lecture theatres, simulation laboratories and alternative power supply within the college.
Also speaking, the Vice-Chancellor of ESUT, Professor Aloysius Okolie, charged both lecturers and graduates to protect the reputation of the university through discipline and responsible conduct.
Professor Okolie warned that acts of misconduct by graduates or academic staff could attract severe sanctions, including withdrawal of certificates or dismissal from service.
Earlier, Chairman of the occasion, Professor Okechukwu Oji, congratulated the inductees for successfully completing what he described as the rigorous demands of medical training.
“You have a duty of care. At all times, you must do your utmost to serve humanity and make your nation proud,” he told the graduates.
Professor Oji described medicine as a highly demanding profession that requires sacrifice, continuous learning and commitment to ethical service delivery.
In his induction lecture, Professor Anthony Okonkwo, Director of the Centre for Applied Psychology and Public Health Research in Africa, advised the new doctors to imbibe empathy, humility, responsibility and ethical conduct in handling patients and carrying out professional duties.
The News Agency of Nigeria reports that the induction ceremony attracted academics, medical professionals, parents and well-wishers who gathered to celebrate the successful completion of medical training by the new doctors.
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