The Federal Government says it plans to establish an Armed Forces College of Medicine and Health Sciences to address Nigeria’s estimated shortfall of 340,000 doctors.
The decision followed a high level meeting involving Education Minister Tunji Alausa, Minister of State for Education Suwaiba Ahmed, Defence Minister Christopher Musa, and other stakeholders in the education, defence, and health sectors.
The disclosure was contained in a statement issued by Boriowo Folasade, Director of Press at the Federal Ministry of Education.
Officials said Nigeria’s population has surpassed 240 million.
They noted that only 189 medical professionals currently serve in the Armed Forces.
They described the situation as highlighting the urgent need for scalable medical training within the military.
The proposed college will operate within the Nigerian Defence Academy.
It will offer clinical training in federal and military hospitals across the country.
Graduates of the institution will be commissioned as Captains in the Armed Forces.
The initiative forms part of broader reforms aimed at expanding medical education nationwide.
The government said medical school admissions have increased from 5,000 to nearly 10,000 annually.
There are also plans to raise annual admissions to 19,000 in the coming years.
