Igbinedion University, Okada (IUO), has inducted 65 newly qualified medical doctors, charging them to prioritize patients' welfare above personal interests. Vice-Chancellor, Prof. Lawrence Ikechukwu Ezemonye, declared that medicine is a calling to humanity, not just a profession. He urged the doctors to uphold human life, professional integrity, confidentiality, compassion, and ethical responsibility. Ezemonye emphasized that patients will trust them with their lives, and communities will look up to them for hope and healing.
Ezemonye stressed the importance of humility, teamwork, and lifelong learning in modern healthcare. He noted that effective collaboration among doctors, nurses, pharmacists, laboratory scientists, and other professionals is crucial. The Vice-Chancellor said Nigeria needs doctors who are competent, innovative, ethical, and compassionate, capable of improving healthcare delivery, research, and public health outcomes. He encouraged the doctors to commit to serving humanity at its most vulnerable moments.
Prof. Titus Sunday Ibekwe, a renowned Otorhinolaryngologist and Public Health Professional, delivered the induction lecture, titled "Take A Bow." He urged the doctors to view medicine as a lifelong commitment to service, humility, gratitude, and continuous growth. Using three bows as symbols, Ibekwe asked them to bow back in gratitude to parents, teachers, and mentors; bow down in service to patients and humanity; and bow forward towards the professionals they are becoming.
Ibekwe warned the doctors against allowing professional status to overshadow their responsibility to humanity. He urged them to acknowledge what they do not know and remain committed to continuous learning. His central charge was: "Keep learning. Keep listening. Keep kneeling. Keep becoming." Ibekwe further warned that the day they stop bowing is the day they begin to decline.
Dr. Andrew Eigbedion, Chairman of the Nigerian Medical Association (NMA), Edo State Branch, called on the Federal Government and the Medical and Dental Council of Nigeria (MDCN) to double Housemanship slots for newly qualified doctors. He warned that increasing admission into Medicine and Surgery without expanding Housemanship capacity could create another bottleneck for medical graduates. Eigbedion urged the new doctors to help address Nigeria's healthcare challenges.
Eigbedion advised the doctors to embrace artificial intelligence and emerging technologies without losing the human touch. He encouraged them to help transform Nigeria's healthcare system, addressing manpower shortages, inadequate infrastructure, rising costs, preventable diseases, and health-worker migration. The Provost, College of Health Sciences, IUO, Prof. Dominic Osaghae, urged the inductees to heal with competence, serve with humility, lead with courage, and uphold the honour of the medical profession.
The ceremony concluded with the administration of the Physician's Pledge and taking of the Bow, followed by the presentation of licences and certificates to the 65 inductees. The Registrar, MDCN, Dr. Fatima Kyari, was represented by the Assistant Registrar and Head of Department, Medical Registration, Dr. Tijani Alimandaka.
Key points
- Igbinedion University inducted 65 medical doctors, charging them to prioritize patients' welfare and uphold medical ethics.
- The Vice-Chancellor emphasized the importance of humility, teamwork, and lifelong learning in modern healthcare.
- The doctors were urged to help address Nigeria's healthcare challenges, including manpower shortages and inadequate infrastructure.
