A call has gone to the Rivers State Government to release funds to Rivers State Sustainable Development Agency [RSSDA] to reduce further hardship and sufferings of the 2008/2009 first batch medical students in the United Kingdom.
The Chairman, Public Complaints in the Rivers State House of Assembly, Hon. Okechukwu Michael Chinda made the call while presenting his report, Tuesday on the plight of the medical students in UK. He recommended that RSSDA allows the premedical graduates choose universities in other nine countries outside the United Kingdom instead of limiting them to UK schools only.
Hon. Chinda stated that this to a large extent will accommodate many others waiting for admission to becoming medical doctors and urged RSSDA to maintain its stand on the Malaysia Medical School campus of the Newcastle University as state funds will not be spent to acquire unaccredited medical degrees.
The committee during its fact finding mission observed that there are 1,200 students currently in the agency sponsorship programme, adding that due to late commencement of preparation and coupled with UK Government’s limited space for international students none of the set gained admission.
According to the report the student were subsequently admitted into School of Bio-Chemical Sciences of Newcatle University, UK and variously obtained Bachelor of Science [BSc] degrees in Pharmacology, Physiology, Bio-Chemistry, and Micro-Biology Genetics.
Chinda also told the House that RSSDA has accepted sponsorship of these graduates with premedical degrees provided they obtain admission into UK based medical schools between now and September, 2013.
Speaker, Rt. Hon. Otelemaba Amachree thanked the committee members for a job well done.
