Transformation to an International Journal:
Since its establishment in 1995, the journal has evolved from a local institutional publication into an increasingly internationally recognised medical and health sciences journal.

International Publishing Partnership:
The journal is currently published by Wolters Kluwer Medknow, one of the world's leading academic and medical publishing companies. This partnership has significantly strengthened the journal's editorial, publishing, production, and international visibility.

Increased Publication Frequency:
The journal has progressed from its initial biannual publication schedule to its current quarterly publication frequency, with four issues published annually.

Regularity and Continuity of Publication:
IJMHD has maintained a consistent and regular publication schedule and has reached its 31st volume, representing more than three decades of uninterrupted scholarly publishing since its establishment in 1995.

Registration with Major Abstracting and Information Services:
The journal is registered with and discoverable through several major abstracting and information services, including EBSCO Publishing's Electronic Databases, Google Scholar, HINARI, Infotrieve, National Science Library, ProQuest, TDNet, Wanfang Data, and African Journals Online (AJOL).

Indexation in Major International Databases: The journal has achieved significant progress in international indexation and is currently indexed in leading academic databases and platforms, including the Directory of Open Access Journals (DOAJ) and Scopus, with recognition in the Web of Science (WoS) ecosystem. The journal is currently being assessed for PubMed/PMC inclusion, which remains a major strategic objective.

Achievement of International Journal Metrics: A major milestone in the journal's recent development has been its attainment of recognised bibliometric metrics, including a SCImago Journal Rank (SJR) of 0.27 and a Clarivate (Thomson Reuters) Journal Impact Factor (JIF) of 0.3 in the 2025 Journal Citation Reports (JCR), released in 2026. These achievements represent a significant advancement in the journal's international standing and visibility and position IJMHD among the emerging medical journals in the West African region.

Institutional Leadership and Support: The remarkable progress recorded by the journal has been made possible through the collective efforts of the editorial team, reviewers, authors, publishers, and the College community. Of particular importance has been the unwavering, strategic, and visionary support of the Provost, Professor Hyginus Ezegwui, whose commitment to strengthening the journal has been exceptional. His support has been instrumental in enabling the journal to achieve several of these important milestones and in laying a strong foundation for its continued growth and sustainability.

The principal challenge currently facing the journal is the rising cost of journal production and publication, largely driven by the prevailing economic situation and significant fluctuations in the naira-to-dollar exchange rate.

Since the journal migrated to Wolters Kluwer Medknow, the Article Processing Charge (APC) has remained fixed at US$200 (two hundred United States dollars) per article, with no article submission fee charged to authors. At the time of migration, this was equivalent to approximately ₦40,000, based on an exchange rate of about US$1 = ₦200. At the current exchange rate of approximately US$1 = ₦1,400, the same APC translates to about ₦280,000–₦300,000.

However, the current APC paid by authors is now below the actual cost of manuscript production and publication charged by the publisher. Consequently, the College has had to subsidise the deficit, with the Provost providing significant financial support to sustain the journal's operations. Despite this support, the accumulated financial obligation arising from the increasing production deficit has become substantial and is currently in excess of US$20,000.

Without a sustainable funding mechanism, the increasing cost of production poses a significant threat to the long-term financial sustainability of the journal and could potentially undermine the remarkable progress achieved in recent years.

Strengthening Institutional Funding Support

As part of efforts to strengthen the financial sustainability of the journal and provide an institutional mechanism for supporting College academics who publish in IJMHD, the College Board approved a ₦5,000 monthly source deduction from the salary of each academic staff member of the College, with the proceeds to support the journal.

However, since the commencement of the deduction in February 2026, the amount being remitted to the journal's account has reportedly been approximately ₦500,000 monthly, which is equivalent to contributions from only about 100 academic staff, despite the College having more than 400 academic staff members.

This raises the need for clarification regarding whether the approved deduction is being implemented comprehensively across all academic staff and whether all deductions made are being fully and promptly remitted to the designated College journal account.

A formal communication has been made regarding this matter, but the observed discrepancy remains unresolved. It is therefore respectfully suggested that the matter be given further attention through a round-table discussion involving the Provost, the Bursar, and other relevant stakeholders, with a view to ensuring full implementation of the approved source deduction and complete remittance of the funds to the journal account.

The consistent implementation of this institutional funding mechanism would provide a more predictable and sustainable financial foundation for IJMHD. It would help the journal meet its publishing obligations to the international publisher, reduce the accumulating financial deficit, and safeguard the significant gains already achieved in the journal's international visibility, indexation, bibliometric performance, and overall reputation.

 The International Journal of Medicine & Health Development has experienced an unprecedented period of growth and transformation in recent years. From its origins as a local College journal established in 1995, it has evolved into an internationally visible publication with major achievements in publishing, indexation, international recognition, and bibliometric performance.

 These achievements represent a significant institutional success for the College of Medicine, University of Nigeria, and reflect the collective commitment of the College leadership, editorial team, reviewers, authors, and publishing partners.

The exceptional support provided by the Provost, Professor Hyginus Ezegwui, has been particularly instrumental in this journey. His visionary leadership and sustained commitment to the development of the journal have contributed significantly to the progress and achievements recorded during his tenure.

 As the journal looks towards the future, the immediate priority is to consolidate these gains, achieve PubMed/PMC inclusion, strengthen its international impact and visibility, and establish a sustainable funding framework that will ensure that the remarkable progress achieved is maintained and further advanced for the benefit of the College of Medicine, the University of Nigeria, and the wider medical and academic community.

Prof. Emmanuel Onyebuchi Valentine Ugwu
[MBBS, MPH, MPA, MSc, MD, PhD, FWACS, FMCOG, FICS]
Editor-in-Chief
International Journal of Medicine & Health Development (IJMHD)