Janet Ogundepo
The Federal Government has built a new medical centre in Epe, Lagos State, bringing the number of Federal Medical Centres in the state to two.
Before the establishment of the new facility in Epe, the Federal Government had on November 23, 1964, commissioned the Federal Medical Centre, Ebute-metta.
FMC Ebute-Metta was formerly called the Nigerian Railway Hospital and was upgraded to a FMC on January 31, 2005.
Aside from the FMC in Epe, two other new FMCs were built, one in Misau, Bauchi State and the other in Ikole-Ekiti, Ekiti State.
However, the FMC in Epe and Misau will each have a nursing school.
The three additional FMCs bring the total number of FMCs in the country to 26.
According to the News Agency of Nigeria, the FG said that the establishment of the new FMCs was to alleviate the strain on existing healthcare facilities and an effort towards achieving Universal Health Coverage.
The Minister of State for Health and Social Welfare, Dr Tunji Alausa, disclosed this on Tuesday in Abuja during the presentation of appointment letters to the acting medical directors of FMC Epe, Dr Adeleke Kaka and FMC Misau, Dr Rufa’i Dachi.
Alausa said that the establishment of the two institutions was crucial for national development.
He added that President Bola Tinubu approved the establishment of three federal medical centres to offer specialised medical care, attract skilled healthcare professionals, and provide a platform for cutting-edge medical research in the country.
The minister further noted that the centres would positively impact the entire region and contribute to improving the country’s national healthcare system.
Alausa said, “This milestone reflects the 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 centres,” he said.
He asserted that the establishment of the FMCs represents a significant step towards realising Tinubu’s vision of a healthcare system that caters to the needs of all Nigerians.
He explained, “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 Tinubu sets 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. “We’re doing this to give our young men and women the opportunity to become nurses and live a decent life.”
He further noted that 100,000 nursing students were expected to be enrolled by the end of the year, as against the previous enrolment of 28,000 nursing students.
Commenting on the mass migration of nurses, Alausa 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 the Federal Ministry of Health’s commitment to work with stakeholders to ensure the success of the FMCs.
The new medical directors thanked the president and the ministry for the appointment, stating that the FMCs would consolidate the gains provided by the facilities.
They promised to do their best to improve healthcare and justify the confidence reposed in them.
Also, the Director of Hospital Services, FMoH, Dr Jimoh Salaudeen, 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 president’s directive.
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.”
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