The Faculty of Basic Medical Sciences

History and Curricuum of the Medical School

Introduction

Undergraduate Curriculum in Medicine (MBBS)

The Medical School started as the Faculty of Health Sciences of the University of Ilorin in 1997 with the appointment of Professor E.H.O. Parry as the foundation Dean under the Vice-Chancellorship of Professor O.O. Akinkugbe, himself a distinguished scholar and an eminent Physician.  The Faculty was, however, upgraded into a College of Medicine on 1st April, 2004.  Certain fundamental issues were taken into careful consideration in the exercise and a number of guidelines thought to be of great significance and relevance were adopted in preparing the Ilorin Curriculum.  They are enumerated as follows:

1. The health needs of Nigeria as outlined in the Third National Plan by the Federal Government of Nigeria.
2. Experience of medical education in the developed countries and their application to the African situation.
3. Development in current educational theory and practice.
4. The regulations and requirements of the Nigerian Medical Council.
5. The recommendation of the Academic Planning Group and the Working Party on Education of the National Universities Commission (1977)) which stated that:
   1. New Medical Schools should be “Oriented to the environment” and “produce students with a great sense and strong inclination to broad community care and preventive medicine”.
   2. Clinical teachers shall take part in basic science teaching

The first batch of academic staff were assembled, briefed and fully prepared for the innovative medical programme.  The first workshop was held in March, 1978 at New-Bussa and attended by both foundation and prospective academic staff, a total of 21 participants; 12 actually joined the faculty. The Vice-Chancellor (Professor O.O. Akinkugbe) performed the official Opening Ceremony which was attended by His Royal Highness, Kigera II the Emire of Borgu, the Kwara State Commissioner for Education, representatives and functionaries of Federal and State governments in health and education.  There were visiting consultants and experts in medical education from the World Health Organization and the McMaster University, Canada.  At the workshop, the following educational principles were enunciated and adapted to reflect the continuity of medical education by building bridges across the barrier created by the traditional division of training into pre-clinical and clinical compartments.