The Nigerian Association of Resident Doctors (NARD) has refuted recent claims by Pastor Poju Oyemade regarding the cost of training medical doctors in Nigeria, stating that such remarks can fuel animosity between healthcare workers and the public.

In a now-viral sermon, Pastor Oyemade claimed that Nigerian doctors spend just ₦500,000 throughout their education, contrasting this with the significantly higher costs incurred by their US counterparts. Citing conversations with Nigerian doctors working at Johns Hopkins, he lamented what he described as ingratitude among Nigerians, arguing that many don’t appreciate the subsidized system that produced them.

“In Nigeria, a person will graduate as a medical doctor and spend N500,000 throughout to become a doctor. In America, you graduate from Johns Hopkins, you graduate from Harvard as a doctor, and you spend $2,000. Are you okay? Do you know how much money you spend?” Oyemade stated.

Speaking during an exclusive interview on Wednesday on Eagle FM’s current affairs program Frontline, NARD President, Dr. Tope Osundara, dismissed the assertions, emphasizing that a single occurrence should not be generalized to represent the entire medical training system.

He posited that it is impossible to train a medical student in Nigeria with 500 thousand naira citing several factors which poses a costlier way of living ranging from practical, extortion from opportunists who tagged medical students as rich, transportation fees, laboratory and materials needed to ease their learning.

“The cheapest medical school you can go to cannot be less than 300 thousand per semester. If you combine 300 thousand, housing fee without the inclusion of books, medical instruments, feeding, examination fee, you are already accumulating a fee far above the perceived N500,000.” How many of these other students pay examination fees? Part 1 MB till the last part, you will pay. Even before license, you still pay.

“So, nobody should take one out of the whole factors and base their analysis on just a single entity. Who does that?

According to Dr. Osundara, misinformation of the public is one of the major causes of growing animosity and altercations directed at healthcare workers. “People argue about fee hikes without fully understanding the actual cost of medical services. Misleading narratives like this only worsen the situation. People will go to the hospital and begin to throw unwarranted tantrums and hatred towards health workers” he said.

Meanwhile, Dr. Osundara called for a re-evaluation and urged the cleric to present accurate information.

“Pastor Poju is actually a friend. We don’t have any reason to be in conflict with him. But we believe he needs to reconsider some of his statements and ensure he shares the right facts.”

Weighing in on the state pf healthcare in Nigeria, He emphasized that unless significant improvements are made, Nigerians including top government officials, will continue to seek medical care abroad.

“If the president himself has to travel to Paris or London for treatment, what hope is there for the average Nigerian with a low income? Their chances of accessing quality healthcare are close to zero,” he noted.