Reps Push for More Internship Slots for Nursing, Radiography and Allied Health Graduates

The House of Representatives has called on government ministries and professional regulatory bodies to expand internship opportunities for graduates of nursing, radiography, pharmacy and other allied health disciplines to address growing gaps in professional training and reduce brain drain in Nigeria’s health sector.

The call was made on Tuesday during plenary when a motion was presented by Mr. Harrison Nwadike, a lawmaker from Imo State. In adopting the motion, lawmakers highlighted the challenges faced by thousands of health-related graduates who struggle to secure the mandatory one-year supervised internships required before they can obtain professional licensure.

Under existing regulatory frameworks, graduates of disciplines such as Nursing and Midwifery, Medical Laboratory Science, Pharmacy, Optometry, Physiology and Radiography must complete a supervised internship in accredited health institutions before they are qualified to practise. Unlike medical doctors—whose housemanship placements are centrally coordinated by the Medical and Dental Council of Nigeria—graduates in most allied fields are left to arrange placements individually, creating bottlenecks in the system.

Lawmakers noted that limited internship slots in public hospitals, competition from large graduating classes, and uneven distribution of accredited training centres have left many qualified candidates unable to secure placements months or even years after graduating. Chronic underfunding of health facilities and inadequate staffing further compound the problem.

During debate, Nwadike warned that the scarcity of placements exposes graduates to risks, including exploitation and engagement in harmful activities while waiting for positions. He cited an example from a federal health institution in Abuja where over 640 eligible nursing interns sat for placement examinations but only 35 slots were available, leaving more than 600 applicants without placements.

The inability to secure internships also blocks many graduates from participating in the National Youth Service Corps (NYSC), since professional licensure—contingent on completing internship training—is a prerequisite for mobilisation in most of the affected health disciplines.

Lawmakers also urged the Federal Ministry of Health and Social Welfare to increase budgetary provisions for internship placements and collaborate with regulatory councils to develop a national internship matching portal to automate placement processes, improve transparency, reduce exploitation and eliminate delays.