The Federal Government has announced plans to establish the Armed Forces College of Medicine and Health Sciences as part of efforts to address Nigeria’s estimated shortfall of 340,000 doctors.
The decision followed a high-level meeting involving the Minister of Education, Maruf Alausa; the Minister of State for Education, Suiwaba Ahmed; and the Minister of Defence, Christopher Musa, alongside other stakeholders in the education, defence and health sectors.
The development was disclosed in a statement signed by the Director of Press and Public Relations at the Federal Ministry of Education, Boriowo Folasade, on Friday.
According to the statement, Nigeria’s population has exceeded 240 million, while only 189 medical professionals are currently serving within the Armed Forces.
“While the nation’s population exceeds 240 million, only 189 medical professionals currently serve within the Defence Forces.
“He further highlighted Nigeria’s broader deficit of approximately 340,000 doctors, stressing the urgent need for scalable and innovative training models,” the statement read in part.
The proposed AFCOM&HS is designed “as a strategic national intervention to strengthen military healthcare services, address critical manpower shortages within the Armed Forces, and expand Nigeria’s overall medical training capacity.
“It will further position Nigeria as a regional hub for military medical training in West Africa.”
As part of broader reforms, the government said it has increased annual medical school admissions from about 5,000 to nearly 10,000, with projections to scale up to approximately 19,000 in the coming years.
The ministry noted that the new college would form a critical component of this expansion strategy, aimed at building a sustainable pipeline of combat casualty-trained doctors, surgeons, trauma specialists, emergency response medics, military public health and disaster response professionals, as well as other allied health personnel.
The initiative aligns with the administration’s education reform agenda, with emphasis on strengthening science, technology, engineering, mathematics and medical sciences.
According to the statement, the college will operate within the existing university framework of the Nigerian Defence Academy in compliance with the Federal Government’s seven-year moratorium on new tertiary institutions and in line with the directive of President Bola Tinubu.
Clinical training will take place in accredited federal and military hospitals.
Medical cadets will gain admission through the Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board and, upon completion of their training, will be commissioned as Captains in the Armed Forces.
A Technical Working Group comprising representatives of the Federal Ministry of Education, Ministry of Defence, Nigerian Defence Academy, MODHIP, the Medical and Dental Council of Nigeria, the National Universities Commission, JAMB and other regulatory bodies has been constituted to oversee compliance and quality assurance.
The government said the necessary processes are being put in place for admissions to commence by October or November 2026.
The PUNCH