The University of Medical Sciences (UNIMED), Ondo, has inducted 77 medical and dental practitioners into the professions, comprising 66 medical doctors and 11 dentists, with a charge to uphold integrity, demonstrate compassion and prioritise patients’ welfare.
Abdul Enejo, the Representative of the Registrar of the Medical and Dental Council of Nigeria (MDCN), who conducted the oath-taking and formal admission of the inductees into the medical and dental professions, emphasised that the responsibility of being a doctor extended beyond possessing a certificate.
While the Secretary to the Ondo State Government and Consultant Family Physician, Taiwo Fasoranti, the guest lecturer, described the ceremony as a defining transition from medical and dental education to professional practice.
He advised the inductees to prioritise their health, noting that their physical and mental well-being was essential to effective professional performance. He also stressed that character would ultimately determine the kind of practitioners they would become.
Fasoranti cautioned against unethical practices, including falsifying medical records and prescribing unnecessary medications, urging the new doctors to uphold professional ethics even when no one was watching.
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In her remarks, the Vice-Chancellor of UNIMED, Ebunoluwa Adejuyigbe, congratulated the inductees and commended their parents, guardians, lecturers and clinical mentors for their contributions to the graduates’ success.
She described the induction as the beginning of a profound responsibility, reminding the new practitioners that patients entrusted them with something more precious than gold: human life.
“Patients will not care how many distinctions you made if you cannot show them compassion. They may forget the drugs you prescribed, but they will remember how you made them feel,” she said.
Drawing from her experience as a clinician specialising in newborn care, Adejuyigbe narrated how a premature baby weighing 900 grammes, whom she cared for in 1995, later returned as a successful technology professional. She also recounted meeting triplets she had treated as premature newborns 16 years earlier.
These experiences, she explained, demonstrated the lasting impact of medical care and the importance of recognising every patient as a person with a future, family and aspirations.
The Vice-Chancellor urged the inductees to embrace lifelong learning, uphold integrity and combine scientific knowledge with compassion. She also encouraged those seeking opportunities abroad to remain connected to Nigeria and contribute to strengthening the country’s healthcare system through research, mentorship and professional collaboration.
She charged the new doctors to be worthy ambassadors of UNIMED, guided by its motto, “For Learning and Community Service,” and to pursue not only professional success but also significance through meaningful contributions to humanity.
BusinessDay reports that the 5th MBBS/BDS induction ceremony brought together university management,, medical professionals, political leaders, government officials, parents, guardians and critical stakeholders in the healthcare sector.
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