President Bola Tinubu has ordered Minister of Health and Social Welfare, Prof. Mohammad Pate, to immediately put necessary machinery in place for the takeoff of the Federal University of Technology Teaching Hospital, Akure.
In line with Tinubu’s order, Prof. Pate dispatched a team to Ondo State to ascertain what structures were on ground so that the new teaching hospital could be included in the 2025 budget
Director of Hospital Services, Federal Ministry of Health, Dr. Jimoh Olawole Salaudeen, who led the Presidential team to Akure, the Ondo State capital, inspected the permanent site where the hospital would be located.
Salaudeen also inspected the Akure Annex of the University of Medical Sciences Teaching which would serve as temporal site for the teaching hospital to take.
Speaking to journalists after the inspection, Salaudeen said he was satisfied that the teaching hospital would soon become operational due to available facilities on ground.
According to him: “There was a directive from Mr. President that there shall be in Akure a federal teaching hospital. This mandate was given to the Minister of Health Mohammad Ali Pate that we should move in quickly to ensure the institutions is established.
“We are here to interact with the state government to know where they want to give us for the commencement of the teaching hospital. We learnt that FUTA has commenced training of medical students and they are already in 300 level.
“There is a place the state government is ready to give us as temporal site for the commencement of the teaching hospital. We are happy that a space has been provided for the permanent site. I am happy that there are lots of structure at the site. We have seen an auditorium, health centre and block of class rooms.
“We visited the place for temporal site in terms of equipment so that we will be able to identify the gaps for a model federal Tertiary hospital. We will start filling in the gaps to aid the training of medical students.
“From what we have seen and the kind of welcome from the community, we think the commencement of the clinical training is hopeful. The learning of the students will be easier. When we have the community support, there will be peace.”
The Ondo State Government has approved the use of the Akure Annex of the University of Medical Sciences Teaching as temporal site for the take of the hospital.
Ondo Commissioner for Health, Dr. Banji Ajaka, said the State Government was ready to provide all necessary support to actualise the president’s directive.
Vice Chancellor of FUTA, Prof. Adenije Oladiji, said the institution has been worried on whose hospital its medical students would observe their clinical studies.
According to her: “I am extremely happy that we have a government that is responsive to the yearnings of the people. We have a medical school and we have been thinking how do we get a teaching hospital. Surprisingly, the federal government is coming to our rescue.
“We have a department to bio-medical engineering. The idea is to have engineers to produce equipment we are going to be able to contribute to what is needed in the school of health sciences.”
Credit: The Nation
