Dr Da Lilly-Tatriah, the President of National Postgraduate Medical College of Nigeria, says the college has trained 7,000 since inception and saved the country over N1 trillion in cost of training.

Lilly-Tatriah disclosed this in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) on Thursday in Abuja as part of the 50th anniversary of the college.

He said that the college had reasons to celebrate the golden jubilee training of specialists, adding that about 7,000 specialists trained by the institution till date had saved the country a trillion naira in cost of training.

According to him, when this is multiplied by valued added in terms of services to the nation and repatriations by expatriates Nigerian doctors, one can understand the enormous benefits of the college to the country.

“This country currently trains approximately 4,000 doctors per annum today from 40 medical schools.

“All 95 per cent of the clinical teachers are products of our college and have been trained within the country,” he said.

He said that when the economic downturn of the 1980s hit the medical profession, highly qualified and foreign trained Nigerian specialists were in great demand in the oil kingdoms of the Middle East.

The president of the college said that the demand was the loss of the country’s capable hands to other countries.

He, however, said that the national postgraduate medical college stood tall, adding that under very difficult circumstances it was able to replicate capable specialists.

“These specialists are today in great demand abroad in the current economic downturn facing the country and the college at 50 years is better positioned to deal with the current wave of brain drain,” he assured.

The college was established by Decree No. 67 of Sept. 24, 1979, now Cap N59 Laws of the Federation 2004.

It is a body corporate with perpetual succession and a common seal.