The Medical and Dental Council of Nigeria (MDCN), the body saddled with the responsibility of approving medical programmes in Nigerian universities, has accredited the Bachelor of Medicine and Bachelor of Surgery (MBBS) programme at the state-owned Bayelsa Medical University.
The approval enables the medical students in the university to participate in Part One of the MBBS examination.
The MDCN deputy registrar, Dr Nnaemeka Nwakanma, who led an 11-man delegation on a two-day inspection and accreditation visit to the university, disclosed this when the team visited Governor Douye Diri at the Government House in Yenagoa.
Dr Nwakanma, who expressed satisfaction with the progress of the young medical institution, also stated that the MDCN has increased the MBBS admission quota per session from 50 to 100 students.
He lauded the state government and the BMU for their efforts in raising the standard of the institution.
He described as commendable the ownership and funding of two medical schools by the Bayelsa government and urged the government to among other requests revive the BMU teaching hospital project, provide buses for the institution, continue to employ qualified manpower, build more laboratories as well as complete the satellite campus at Sampou.
The MDCN top official equally commended Governor Douye Diri for the visible developmental strides of his administration, particularly in the area of infrastructure.
Responding, Governor Diri thanked the council for its dispassionate assessment of the institution and the administration, saying he was determined to fulfil the mandate of people of the state.
Senator Diri assured that more projects would be executed in the university and that the issues raised by the council will be addressed before its next visit.
He also hailed the MDCN for setting a high standard for medical schools in Nigeria, saying their efforts have made it possible for Nigeria to graduate quality medical personnel that were highly sought after in the world.