Dr Tunji Alausa, Minister of State for Health and Social Welfare, And Dr Adeleke Kaka, acting medical director of FMC Epe, Lagos state
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Azonuchechi Chukwu.
The Federal Government says the new federal medical centres in Epe, Lagos State, and Misau in Bauchi State,will each host a School of Nursing.
Dr Tunji Alausa, the Minister of State for Health and Social Welfare, disclosed this on Tuesday in Abuja while presenting letters of appointment to
the acting medical directors, Dr Adeleke Kaka of FMC Epe and Dr Rufa’i Dachi of FMC Misau.
Alausa said that the establishment of the two institutions is crucial for national development.
The centres are the ones in Epe, Lagos State, Misau in Bauchi State and Federal Medical Centre Ikole-Ekiti in Ekiti.
Tinubu said that the centres would offer specialised medical care, attract skilled healthcare professionals and provide a platform for cutting-edge medical research in the country.
He added that the centres would positively impact the entire region and contribute to the overall improvement of the country’s national healthcare system.
Alausa said “this milestone reflects Tinubu administration’s commitment to enhancing healthcare accessibility and quality across Nigeria.
“This approval further demonstrates the president’s passion and commitment to ensuring that Nigerians receive the best healthcare at an affordable cost.
“It also aims to increase the much-needed human resources for health in our country.”
The minister explained that the centres were designed to alleviate the strain on existing healthcare facilities by providing tertiary care to over one million residents in the regions.
“Previously, citizens had to travel hundreds of miles to Lagos for such services,” he noted.
He commended the Lagos State Government for cooperating and transferring the Lagos General Hospital to the Federal Government, facilitating the establishment of FMC Epe.
“The Federal Government is committed to full support and funding to ensure rapid development of infrastructure and services at these centers,” he said.
He stressed that the establishment of the FMCs represent a significant step toward realising Tinubu’s vision of a healthcare system that caters for the needs of all Nigerians.
He explained that “these facilities are expected to be fully operational before the end of the year, offering comprehensive care and reducing the necessity for long-distance travel for medical services.
“This is a testament to what President Tinubu set out to do for us in this country.
“The president is reforming every sector like the economy, power, infrastructure, food security, agriculture, security and energy. But now, I will focus on our sector, the health sector.”
“We all know the problem we have with human resources for health. We’re tackling that head-on by doubling the number of people we’re enrolling in medical schools, pharmacy schools, dentistry schools, medical science schools, and nursing schools.
“We’ve almost quadrupled the admission of students into nursing schools.”
He disclosed that before Tinubu’s administration, the country was enrolling no fewer than 28,000 nursing students annually, but now, more than 64,000 students are enrolled annually, with expectations to enroll 100,000 students by the end of the year.
“We’re doing this to give our young men and women the opportunity to become nurses and live a decent life.”
Addressing the issue of nurses’ migration, he said “yes, we know that some nurses have migrated. We cannot stop people from migrating,
but we have to leverage our population. We have a population of 220 million people. We can train more, and as people go, others will stay.
“Even those migrating have maintained cultural ties, sending money to their families, which is another source of foreign direct investment.
“More importantly, as we strengthen our healthcare system and improve security, those who have left will want to return.”
He reiterated Federal Ministry of Health’s (FMoH) commitment to work with stakeholders to ensure the success of the FMCs.
The medical directors expressed delight over the development, saying that the FMCs would consolidate the gains provided by the facilities.
They thanked the president and the ministry for the appointment, assuring that they would not disappoint.
They promised to do their best to improve healthcare and justify the confidence reposed in them.
Earlier, Dr Jimoh Salaudeen, the Director of Hospital Services, FMoH, said the ministry had earlier approached state governors where
the three FMCs are sited to identify suitable sites for the centres, in line with the directive of the president.
He said “we assessed the proposed locations with the governors’ support, and to facilitate the take-off of these institutions, we need to appoint acting medical directors.
“Therefore, we present Kaka and Dachi to the minister of state to receive their appointment letters, having reviewed their CVs and found
them suitable for the positions.” (www.naija247news.com).
