The Federal Government has unveiled plans to establish the Armed Forces College of Medicine and Health Sciences (AFCOM&HS) to tackle Nigeria’s estimated shortage of 340,000 doctors and strengthen healthcare services within the military
The decision followed a high-level meeting involving the Minister of Education, Maruf Alausa; the Minister of State for Education, Suiwaba Ahmed; and the Minister of Defence, Christopher Musa, alongside key stakeholders from the education, defence, and health sectors.
In a statement issued on Friday by the Director of Press and Public Relations at the Federal Ministry of Education, Boriowo Folasade, the government highlighted the urgent need to boost medical manpower. With Nigeria’s population now exceeding 240 million, only 189 medical professionals currently serve in the Armed Forces.
The proposed college is designed as a strategic intervention to strengthen military healthcare delivery, address critical staffing gaps in the Defence Forces, and expand the country’s overall capacity for medical training. It is also expected to position Nigeria as a regional hub for military medical education in West Africa.
As part of broader reforms, the government revealed that annual medical school admissions have already increased from about 5,000 to nearly 10,000, with projections to scale up to approximately 19,000 in the coming years. The new college will support this expansion by creating a steady pipeline of combat casualty-trained doctors, surgeons, trauma specialists, emergency response medics, military public health experts, disaster response professionals, and other allied health personnel.
The initiative aligns with the administration’s focus on advancing science, technology, engineering, mathematics, and medical sciences. In line with the Federal Government’s seven-year moratorium on new tertiary institutions and directives from President Bola Tinubu, the college will operate within the existing university structure of the Nigerian Defence Academy.
Clinical training will take place in accredited federal and military hospitals. Admission of medical cadets will be processed through the Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB), and graduates will be commissioned as Captains in the Armed Forces upon completion of their studies.
A Technical Working Group comprising representatives from the Federal Ministry of Education, Ministry of Defence, Nigerian Defence Academy, MODHIP, the Medical and Dental Council of Nigeria, the National Universities Commission, JAMB, and other regulatory bodies has been established to ensure compliance and maintain quality standards.
According to the government, preparations are underway for the first set of admissions to begin by October or November 2026.
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