Delta State set the pace for deployment of hospital interns in Nigeria

• Interns appeal to State Governor, Health Commissioner for early payment of stipends

 

The Delta State Hospital Management Board is a government health agency under the Delta State Ministry of Health responsible for coordinating and managing public hospitals owned by the Delta State Government. It oversees the administration and coordination of public hospitals across Delta State Ensuring quality health services in medicine, surgery, obstetrics & gynecology, pediatrics, emergency care, and other clinical services.  Human Resource Deployment: Posting and managing health professionals such as house officers, nurses, pharmacists, and medical laboratory scientists to hospitals to strengthen workforce capacity. Gentechnews was privileged to observe one of the most notable aspects of the 2025 internship exercise for nursing, pharmacy, medical laboratory science, and other allied health professions, as the Editor Gentechnews, Tony Nwakaegho writes to share his experience of the Delta State internship exercise and its impact on the health sector.

 

 

An internship in Nigerian hospitals is a mandatory supervised training period that newly qualified healthcare professionals must complete after graduation before they can obtain full professional registration and a practicing license. Internship applies to graduates of: Medicine & Surgery (House Officers) – 1 year, Pharmacy – 1 year, Medical Laboratory Science – 1 year and Nursing (for some specialist programs) – 1year

Gentechnews investigation revealed some challenges faced by interns in getting appointments despite its importance, as many graduates face serious difficulties securing internship placements due to limited internship slots in Nigeria.

The internship scheme in Nigeria is essential for producing competent healthcare professionals. However, challenges such as limited slots, delays, poor funding, and lack of transparency make it difficult for many graduates to secure placements.

Meanwhile, Gentechnews Editor witnessed the conduct of the Delta State health internship exercise this year, which stands out as a deliberate and structured effort to strengthen healthcare delivery while supporting young professionals at a critical stage of their careers. As a close observer of the process, I witnessed first-hand how organization, transparency, and purpose shaped the exercise and why it matters deeply to the health sector.

I want to point out that Specialist Hospital Asaba short listed some candidates for interviews, while Delta State Teaching Hospital Oghara invited over 700 applicants and conducted written and oral interviews for all. By and large, the interns in Specialist Hospital Asaba has since September 2025. The exercise is commendable as it comes up year-on-year in Delta State.

For interns in nursing, pharmacy, medical laboratory science, and other allied health professions, this structure created a sense of confidence. Knowing that selections were based on professional qualifications and regulatory requirements helped build trust in the system and reduced anxiety among applicants.

There is no gainsaying the fact that I discovered that the number of graduates is much higher than available internship positions in states and the country in general, which has made many graduates stagnate because they cannot get professional license or proceed to NYSC without undertaking the internship scheme.

Many intern potentials are moving from States to State hospitals that can only take a small number of interns per year, hence some graduates wait months or even years due to limited slots before getting placement.

I spoke with some interns about completing their exercises in some states and they complained anonymously of financial constraints as some State hospitals delay in payment of stipends, while some pay very low allowances.

I must commend the Delta State government and the Delta State Hospital Management Board for placing their various interns on the salary scale that are obtained in Delta State Civil Service.

Meanwhile, Gentechnews want to appeal to the State government and the Delta State Hospital Management Board to change the narrative of employed interns waiting for several months before getting their stipends as such delay can affect their skills retention and morale as well as productivity in the quest by the state government to bolster the health sector in the state. Many are from far and wide who need to rent accommodation, feed among other things to get to work. If probation period is in place, then the eight months being mentioned is on the high side that needs to be reviewed without delay.

Indeed, I discovered that Delta State is a trailblazer in the appointment of interns in Nigeria based on merit and across local governments and other states. The exercise is a welcome development that can help to boost the health in Nigeria if the number of potential interns still roaming the streets looking for a place to undertake their internships are engaged to bridge the gap of the ‘JAPA’ Syndrome being experienced in the health sector in Nigeria currently by increasing the yearly internship slots or posting them to hospitals nationwide after graduation like the NYSC on a generally approved allowances.