The federal government says the new federal medical centres in Epe, Lagos State, and Misau, Bauchi State, will each house a School of Nursing.
The Minister of State for Health and Social Welfare, Tunji Alausa, disclosed this on Tuesday in Abuja while presenting letters of appointment to the Acting Medical Directors, Adeleke Kaka of FMC Epe and Rufa'i Dachi of FMC Misau.
Mr. Alausa said the creation of both institutions is crucial for national development.
Dr. Tunji Alausa, Minister of State for Health and Social Welfare, and Dr. Rufa'i Dachi, Acting Medical Director of FMC Misau, Bauchi State.
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that President Bola Tinubu has approved the establishment of three federal medical centres in the government's efforts to achieve Universal Health Coverage (UHC).
The centres are Epe, Lagos State, Misau in Bauchi State and the Federal Medical Centre Ikole-Ekiti in Ekiti.
Mr Tinubu said the centres would offer specialised medical care, attract qualified health professionals and provide a platform for cutting-edge medical research in the country.
He added that the centres will have a positive impact on the entire region and will contribute to improving the country's national health system.
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Mr. Alausa said: “This milestone reflects the commitment of the Tinubu administration to improving the accessibility and quality of healthcare 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 human resources that are so necessary for health in our country.”
The minister explained that the centres were designed to relieve pressure on existing health facilities by providing tertiary care to more than one million residents in the regions.
“Previously, citizens had to travel hundreds of kilometres to Lagos to obtain such services,” he said.
He commended the Lagos State Government for cooperating and handing over the Lagos General Hospital to the Federal Government, facilitating the establishment of FMC Epe.
“The federal government has committed to providing full support and funding to ensure rapid development of infrastructure and services at these centres,” he said.
He stressed that the creation of the FMCs represents a significant step towards realising Mr. Tinubu's vision of a healthcare system that meets 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 need for long-distance travel to receive medical services.
“This is a testimony to what President Tinubu set out to do for us in this country.
“The president is reforming all sectors, including the economy, energy, 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 in the health field. We are tackling it head on by doubling the number of people we enroll in the faculties of medicine, pharmacy, dentistry, medical sciences and nursing.
“We have almost quadrupled the number of students admitted to nursing schools.”
He revealed that before Mr Tinubu's administration, the country enrolled no less than 28,000 nursing students annually but now over 64,000 students are enrolled annually and 100,000 students are expected to be enrolled by the end of the year.
“We are doing this to give our young men and women the opportunity to become nurses and live a decent life.”
On the issue of nurse migration, she said: “Yes, we know that some nurses have migrated. We cannot stop people from migrating, but we have to take advantage of our population. We have a population of 220 million people. We can train more people and as some leave, others will stay.
“Even those who migrate have maintained cultural ties, sending money back to their families, which constitutes another source of foreign direct investment.
“The most important thing is that as we strengthen our health care system and improve security, those who left will want to come back.”
He reiterated the Federal Ministry of Health's (FMoH) commitment to work with stakeholders to ensure the success of the FMCs.
Medical directors expressed satisfaction with the progress and said the FMCs would consolidate the advances provided by the facilities.
They thanked the president and the ministry for the appointment, assuring that they would not disappoint.
They promised to do everything possible to improve healthcare and justify the trust placed in them.
Earlier, Jimoh Salaudeen, Director of Hospital Services at FMoH, said the ministry had earlier approached the governors of the states where the three FMCs are located to identify suitable sites for the centres, in line with the President’s directive.
He said: “We have evaluated the proposed locations with the support of the governors and, to facilitate the take-off of these institutions, we need to appoint interim medical directors.
“We therefore present Kaka and Dachi to the Minister of State for their appointment letters, having reviewed their CVs and deeming them suitable for the positions.”
(YAYA)