The Medical and Dental professions in Nigeria are regulated by the Medical and Dental Practitioners Act Cap 221 (now Cap M8) Laws of Federation of Nigeria 1990 which sets up the Medical and Dental Council of Nigeria with the following mandates:
1. Regulation of training in Medicine, Dentistry and Alternative Medicine in Nigeria
2. Regulation of Medical, Dental and Alternative Medicine practice in Nigeria.
3. Determination of the knowledge and skills of these professionals.
4. Regulation and control of Laboratory Medicine in Nigeria.
Our Mission Statement: “To regulate the practice of Medicine, Dentistry and Alternative Medicine in the most efficient manner that safeguards best healthcare delivery for Nigerians” underlies these Mandates.
Our Vision: “To be the foremost Professional Regulatory body in Nigeria!”
The Act ( Medical and Dental Practitioners Act Cap 221 (now Cap M8) Laws of Federation of Nigeria 1990) which sets up the MDCN charges the council with the following responsibilities.
a. determining the standards of knowledge and skill to be attained by persons seeking to become members of the medical or dental profession and reviewing those standards from time to time as circumstances may permit.
b. securing in accordance with provisions of this Law the establishment and maintenance of registers of persons entitled to practice as members of the medical or dental profession and the publication from time to time of lists of those persons;
c. reviewing and preparing from time to time, a statement as to the code of conduct which the Council considers desirable for the practice of the professions in Nigeria; and,
d. performing the other functions conferred on the Council by this Law.
By provision (c) above, the Council is empowered to make Rules of professional conduct and is also empowered to establish the Medical and Dental Practitioners Disciplinary Tribunal and Medical Practitioners Investigating Panel for the enforcement of these Rules of Conduct.
These Rules of Conduct are made to enable doctors and dentists in Nigeria maintain universally acceptable professional standards of practice and conduct. They serve as standards in relationship of medical and dental practitioners with the profession, their colleagues, patients, members of allied professions and the public.
The Nigerian Medical Council was succeeded by the Medical and Dental Council of Nigeria, a statutory creation of the Military Decree No 23 of 1988. This decree, with the return of constitutional government of Nigeria is now known as The Medical and Dental Practitioners Act, Cap. 221, Laws of the Federation of Nigeria 1990. The statutory functions of the Medical and Dental Council of Nigeria are:
1) Determining the standards of knowledge and skill to be attained by persons seeking to become members of the medical or dental profession and reviewing those standards from time to time as circumstances may permit.
2) Securing in accordance with the provisions of this Act the establishment and maintenance of registers of persons entitled to practice as members of the medical or dental profession and the publication from time to time of lists of those persons.
3) Reviewing and preparing from time to time, a statement as to the Code of Conduct which the Council considers desirable for the practice of the professions in Nigeria.
4) Performing the other functions conferred on the Council by the Act.
However, by amendment viz Decree No. 78 of 1992 The functions of the Medical and Dental Council of Nigeria were expanded to include:
5) Supervising and controlling the practice of homeopathy, and other focus of alternative medicine (naturopathy, acupuncture and osteopathy)
6) Making regulations for the operation of clinical laboratory practice in the field of Pathology, which includes Histopathology, Forensic Pathology, Autopsy and Cytology, Clinical Cytogenetics, Haematology, Medical Microbiology and Medical Parasitology, Chemical Pathology, Clinical Chemistry, Immunology and Medical Virology.
Since its inception in 1963, the Council has published certain documents as guidelines for registered practitioners and those who wanted to become members of either profession. Such publications are:
- Guidelines on Minimum Standards of Medical and Dental Education in Nigeria. This was first published in 1975, and revised in 1993. It is now being revised by the present Council.
- Rules of Professional Conduct for Medical and Dental Practitioners in Nigeria which was first published in 1963. It was revised in 1995. A new edition has been published as Code of Medical Ethics in Nigeria since January 2004.
The Council shall have responsibility for:
(a) Determining the standards of knowledge and skill to be attained by persons seeking to become members of the medical or dental profession and reviewing those standards from time to time as circumstances may permit.
(b) Securing in accordance with the provisions of this Decree the establishment and maintenance of registers of persons entitled to practice as members of the medical or dental profession and the publication from time to time of lists of those persons.
(c) Reviewing and preparing from time to time, a statement as to the code of conduct which the Council considers desirable for the practice of the professions in Nigeria.
