Bill to Establish Federal University Lokoja Teaching Hospital Scales second Reading
A Bill for an Act to establish the Federal University Lokoja Teaching Hospital has scaled through second reading at the floor of the red chamber of the National Assembly
The Bill that seeks for the establishment of teaching Hospital and the provision of a Management Board in the proposed Teaching Hospital was sponsored by the Senator representing Kogi West, Smart Adeyemi.
Senator Adeyemi, while leading the debate said the Bill will help facilitate the clinical training of medical student.
He noted that the Bill which also seeks to provide a management board for the teaching hospital will go a long way at tackling the deteriorating specialized healthcare delivery services in the Country, especially at the North Central region.
Senator Adeyemi expressed optimism that the Federal University Lokoja Teaching Hospital, when established, will also go a long way at addressing the shortage of Medical practitioners in the Country.
“I am delighted to lead this debate on the general principles of the Federal University Teaching Hospital Lokoja. Recalled that the Bill was read the first time on Tuesday 7th December 2021
“The objective of this Bill is to provide for the establishment of a Teaching Hospital for the Federal University Lokoja and also to provide for a Management Board for the Teaching Hospital which sort to be established through this Bill and this is intended to facilitate the clinical training of medical student to be of international acceptable standard of the University
“Mr. President, Distinguished colleagues, permit me to bring to the attention of this distinguished Senate that the Federal University Lokoja has already set up a College of Medicine and has gotten the approval of the National University Commission (NUC) to admit Medical Student in preparation for the takeoff of the Teaching Hospital which will be required for Clinical Training of Medical Students of the proposed Teaching Hospital of the University and the facilities of the Federal Medical Centre Lokoja will be used for the takeoff of the proposed teaching hospital on the interim
“The essence of this Bill therefore is to seek for the upgrade of the Federal Medical Centre Lokoja as well as provide the legal framework for the operation of the proposed Teaching Hospital for Clinical Training of Medical Student of the College of Medicine Federal University Lokoja
“Mr. President, distinguished colleagues, it is expected that the Teaching Hospital when established, will not only serve as a Training ground for Medical Students but also offers specialized Tertiary Healthcare Services to patients within the State and indeed other patients refer to it from other parts of the Country
“Similarly, bearing in mind that the few Teaching Hospitals and other Tertiary Health Centers within the North Central Zones are already overwhelmed by referrals for Tertiary Healthcare Services, the proposed Teaching Hospital when established will therefore compliment specialized tertiary healthcare services offered by the new Teaching Hospital within the North Central Geo-political zone such as the Jos and Ilorin University Teaching Hospitals
“Mr. President, just in addition, out of the over eighty thousand (80,000) registered Medical Practitioners in Nigeria, only about forty thousand (40,000) of them are actually practicing in the Country as quite a number of them is already out of the Nation
“By the World Health Organization’s standard Mr. President, One Doctor to One hundred patients is required but in Nigeria today, it is one doctor to four thousand patients” he explained.
Senator Adeyemi pointed out that the impotence of the bill as it will help improve medical training as well as healthcare service delivery.
He maintained that the proposed Teaching Hospital of the Federal University Lokoja will have no financial implication on the Federal Government as the Federal Medical Centre Lokoja is proposed to serve as the takeoff facility.
He however called for upgrade of the FMC Lokoja to enable it meet up with the required standard of an ideal Teaching Hospital, describing the Bill as a sign of good things to come for the health sector.
“This Bill should therefore be seen a major legislative response to our ongoing efforts to improve medical training, expand existing medical facilities and generally improve on the healthcare service delivery across the three levels of public health delivery in Nigeria as against the background of the Covid-19 Pandemic
“It is on the basis of the foregoing Mr. President that I urge my Distinguished Colleagues to support the passage of this very impactful Bill and I wish to state that in compliance with the Order 76 (3) of the Senate Standing Orders, 22 as amended, this Bill when passed will have no immediate financial burden on the Federal Government treasury as the facilities for the takeoff of the proposed Teaching Hospital is the Federal Medical Centre Lokoja that will be upgraded to the status of a Teaching Hospital.”
In his contribution, the Senator Representing Kebbi South, Sen. Bala Ibn Na’Allah (APC), said the passage of the Bill for the establishment of the Teaching Hospital of the Federal University Lokoja was important following the reasons stated by Sen. Smart Adeyemi.
Similarly, a Former Deputy Minority Leader, Sen. Emmanuel Buacha of Taraba South (APC), explained that Nigeria, as the most populous black Nation needed to prioritize health sector hence the need for the passage of the Bill.
“I will even suggest that every State in our dear Country deserves a Teaching Hospital because of our population and because of the significance associated with healthcare
“Health is wealth and if we are able to tackle the health sector, all other things will fall in place. I therefore second the Motion as moved by Sen. Smart Adeyemi and I also encouraged my colleagues to do same”
The Senate President, Ahmed lawan committed the Bill to the Committee on Health for further legislative actions to report back within four weeks.
