The College of Health Sciences (CHS) of University of Abuja (UNIAbuja) on Sunday presented a N250,000 cheque to Dr Adamu Bara, the Best Medical Student among the 18 pioneer medical doctors of the institution.
The Provost of the college, Professor Kareem Airede, presented the cheque to Bara in Abuja during induction of the pioneer medical doctors of UNIAbuja into the Medical and Dental Council of Nigeria (MDCN) after 12 years of studying medicine at the institution.
Airede said the gesture was to boost Bara’s morale as outstanding student throughout his sojourn in medical school.
He added that Bara had earlier won N10,000 for coming out first among his course mates in essay competition on Hypertension and urged him to keep it up.
He said the medical profession was not a money-making venture but a life-saving one where practitioners make sacrifices to cure, save lives and take care of peoples’ health.
He assured the inductees that they would commence as pre-registration house officers on 4th December, 2017 and tasked them on competence, good character and compassion to patients.
The Registrar of MDCN, Dr Tajudeen Sanusi, who commended Bara for the outstanding performance, urged the new doctors to maintain the courage and resilience toward achieving the goal of saving lives.
Responding, Bara thanked the institution for the gesture. He assured the management of UNIAbuja, the Medical and Dental Council of Nigeria (MDCN) and CHS to uphold the integrity reposed in him and never to allow the lust for money to becloud his sense of humanity.
Earlier, the Vice Chancellor of UNIAbuja, Professor Michael Adikwu, had commended the inductees for their courage through the 12 years to acquire MBBS as against the normal six years of studying medicine.
Adikwu emphasised that though it took a long time, it was well spent, adding that such courage and determination would spur them to greater height.
The Foundation Provost of CHS, Professor Joseph Otubu urged the new doctors to uphold the oath of fairness, honesty and respect for humanity which he described as general principles of the profession.
The don urged the inductees to shun vices and look up to few role models in the profession not necessarily on the basis of wealth and power but honesty, integrity and humanitarian services.
He said “medical and dental practitioners according to code of medical ethics should always accord elder members their due respect both socially and professionally.
“Older members should consider the younger ones as their colleagues and strive to set good examples and moral guidance at all times and this duty should manifest in all situations.’’
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the 18 new inductee doctors are Dr Adamu Bara, Dr Etuk Etim, Dr Uguneji Okechukwu, Dr Agbo Enotse, Dr Wandoo Abwa, Dr Imam Abubakar, Dr Folakemi Ayodele, Dr Yaqub Abdulmuthalib, Dr Oghenekevwe Tereben and Dr Elizabeth Adesida.
Others are Dr Jude Chukwurah, Dr Oluwatosin Bisiriyu, Dr Uzoamaka Okoli, Dr Enitan Bello, Dr Anyang Inyang, Dr Samuel Ogwu, Dr Odiba Emmanuel and Dr Chibuzo Ejemeka.
The 18 bagan academic session in December 2005/2006.
