LASU VC seeks increase in admission quota for medical students

By Gab Dike, Lagos

The Vice-Chancellor, Lagos State University (LASU), Prof Ibiyemi Olatunji-Bello, recently asked the Medical and Dental Council of Nigeria (MDCN) to raise the admission quota of the Lagos State University College of Medicine from 100 to 150 students.

Prof. Olatunji-Bello justified the request on the significant improvement in facilities and quality of personnel that the college has witnessed since the last accreditation in 2013.

She made the appeal during the courtesy visit of the MDCN accreditation team to the VC, which took place at the conference hall of the Faculty of Basic Clinical Sciences, LASUCOM, Ikeja.

While addressing the 14-man team, the professor of physiology said: “The MBBS programme commenced in 1999 with 52 students. Today, we have produced 15 sets of medical graduates, comprising 846 medical doctors. The quota for students’ intake of 50 at inception increased to the present 100 in 2013.

‘Since the last visit (in 2013), as you will discover shortly, the college has witnessed a rapid infrastructural transformation in terms of building structures, equipment and facilities as well as a significant upgrade in both quality and quantity of personnel.’

The VC highlighted the improvements in LASUCOM and concluded that an upward review in the quota for admission into the MBBS programme would be justified.

The leader of the team, Dr NU Nwakanma, Deputy Registrar of the MDCN, in his response, concurred with the VC on the upgrades and stated that the team would be objective in its assessment of the programme.

‘It’s obvious that this place is not what it was five years ago when we last came. The little we have seen shows there are serious improvements. We will try to be as diligent and as objective as possible in our peer review.’

Acting Provost of the college Prof Mobolaji Oludara also expressed his excitement to receive the team and assured them of the cooperation of members of LASUCOM on the assignment.

The visit had in attendance the Chairman, Court of Governors of LASUCOM, Dr Juliana Lawson, other principal officers, deans and senior officials of the college.