Nigerian lawmakers move to upgrade federal medical centre Owo to teaching hospital

The House of Representatives Committee on Health on Sunday had an inspection tour of facilities at Federal Medical Centre (FMC) Owo and commenced move to upgrade of the institution to a teaching hospital.

Penpushing reports that the Chairman of the Committee, Hon Amos Magaji, made the announcement after the committee met with the management of the hospital, led by the Chief Medical Director, Dr Liasu Adeagbo.

The meeting also include staff and labour unions, while the team inspected some facilities in the hospital, including the Accident and Emergency section, Research centre, Isolation ward, Molecular laboratory, Radiology department and the General Outpatient building under construction.

‘We will look at how Federal Medical Centre, Owo can be upgraded to a teaching hospital and ensure that it is done through due process which cannot be done in one day. We will look at the law and we will also look at the policies’, Magaji said.

Penpushing further reports that the committee commended the management of the hospital for keeping it clean and making good use of the little resources they have to provide qualitative health services to the people.

The committee boss in same vein explained that the issues of employment and replacement of workers in the health sector must be taken as an emergency, assuring that on return to Abuja, they will address how to tackle all issues tabled by the relevant agencies of government

‘When we get to Abuja, we will see how we can tackle all the issues that were tabled by the relevant agencies of government and find a way of dealing with human resources. There is no sector of the economy that has this japa syndrome like the health sector’, he stated.

Penpushing also reports that the Chief Medical Director of the hospital, Akeredolu Adeagbo, in his remarks said the visit would assist the committee to provide solutions to the challenges facing the hospital.

The Chief Medical Director emphasized that the visit would also provide adequate information to the committee on how funds released to the institution had been utilized, explaining that the committee has been able to see what the management had done with funds release to the hospital

‘The committee has been able to see what we have done with the money released to the hospital and the working environment. It will help us not to talk much when we go for budget defence’, the director said.

Penpushing reports that the Chief Medical Director pointed out that the hospital is battling with the funding of patients who cannot afford to pay their bills after treatment, stating that some of the challenges are common while some are peculiar

‘Some of the challenges we have here are common while some are peculiar. When you talk about the funding of the hospital now, it is critical. Medications are very expensive now that many people cannot pay and the government has said that nobody should die because they don’t have money,” he stated.

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