LunagisthubNigerian House of Representatives Urges Improved Internship Opportunities for Allied Health Graduates
The House of Representatives has called on relevant regulatory agencies and government ministries to expand internship opportunities for graduates of Nursing and Midwifery, Radiography, Pharmacy, and other allied medical disciplines. This move aims to address the persistent shortages in placement slots that are undermining professional training and worsening brain drain in Nigeria’s health sector .
Unlike medical doctors, whose internship placements are centrally coordinated, graduates of most allied health professions are often left to secure placements on their own. This decentralized process has created significant bottlenecks, with limited internship slots in public health institutions and high competition from thousands of graduates produced annually. As a result, many qualified candidates are unable to secure placements months or even years after graduation .
The scarcity of internship opportunities exposes graduates to serious risks and exploitation, including financial, emotional, and even sexual exploitation. Moreover, most unlicensed graduates are exposed to social vices, such as internet fraud, violent crimes, and prostitution, contributing to losses in public health and societal well-being .
To address these challenges, the House of Representatives has urged the Federal Ministry of Health and Social Welfare to increase the internship budgetary subhead for health institutions and collaborate with regulatory councils to develop a National Internship Matching Portal. This portal would automate and harmonize graduate placements, ensuring transparency, preventing exploitation, and eliminating delays. Additionally, the House recommended that the Federal Ministry of Budget and Planning increase the budgetary envelope to tertiary health institutions to enable them to increase funding for internship programs.
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