Buhari Approves Takeover Of FMC Lokoja To Teaching Hospital.

The Vice Chancellor of Federal University, lokoja, Proff. Olayemi Akinwumi has said President Buhari administration has moved tertiary healthcare delivery to the front burner making it easier for Nigerians to access tertiary healthcare at low cost.

Addressing a joint Press conference with the Chief Medical Director of the new Federal Teaching Hospital, Lokoja, Dr Olatunde Oladeji Alabi, on Tuesday, to formerly announce the linkage of the newly established federal Teaching Hospital(FTH),Lokoja, with the College of Health Sciences of Federal University Lokoja.

He also commended President Muhammadu Buhari for the establishment of newly established Federal Teaching Hospital, Lokoja and three new other Teaching Hospitals across Nigeria.

Proff. Akinwumi said Buhari administration has moved tertiary healthcare delivery to the front burner making it easier for Nigerians to access tertiary healthcare at low cost,given the increased proximity to healthcare.

According to him, ” This follows the conversion and upgrade of four Federal health facilities to the status of Teaching Hospitals”.

Professor Akinwumi, said the Governing Council, Senate, management and Staff of Medical Sciences in Federal University, lokoja was delighted by the upgrade of Lokoja Federal Medical Centre( FMC) as it now aids the teaching of Medical Sciences.

” The institution would provide clinical training for medical and premedical students of Federal University which prides itself as a Nigerian University wit largest medical college in terms of size and anticipated complement of medical academics”.

The newly established tertiary health facilities named Federal Teaching Hospital( FTH), are located at Lokoja, Gombe, Edo and Katsina cities, with a geographical spread, aimed at adding value to Nigeria’s tertiary healthcare delivery system.

Nigerian Senate,passed the Federal Teaching Hospital Bill into law on 21st June, 2022, in furtherance of Buhari administration’s healthcare sector development plan.

Akinwumi adds that” The University’s responsibility to the hospital will include the construction of Hospitals,Medical Laboratory Complex and lecture auditoriums within the hospital.

” We are indeed poised to attract the best medical academics to the federal University Lokoja College of health Sciences.

I’m also aware of the competencies of the consultants at the hospital.
” The combination of these competencies and seasons medical academics will no doubt produce all round medical graduates that will fill the yawning gap that exists in the health sector of not only Kogi state but Nigeria “,Akinwumi added.
According to Akinwumi, There are about 80,000 registered medical Practitioners on the register of Medical and Dental Council of Nigeria( MDCN) as at May,2022.

Out of medical this number, about 40,000 Medical Doctors are actively practicing in Nigeria”. By World Health Organization( WHO) standards, one Doctor is to 100 patients, but in Nigeria, it is one Doctor to more than 40,000 patients. This is grossly inadequate and unacceptable especially in a developing country like Nigeria.

” Research conducted in recent time shows that in the next 10 years, Kogi state Medical Centres and Hospitals will experience great inertia of Medical Doctors of Kogi state origin” he said.

The Vice Chancellor noted that about 98% of qualified students of Kogi state origin who applied to study medicine and surgery in Nigerian Universities outside Kogi state, have often been denied admissions due to stiff competition for placement, and appealed to the rich, philanthropists and Corporate Bodies within and outside the state to donate infrastructural facilities to FULokoja to ease its burden of providing infrastructural facilities to the young growing University.