THE Federal Government has pledged to look into the funding needs of the National postgraduate Medical College of Nigeria (NPMCN).
Minister of Education, Mallam Adamu Adamu, who gave the government’s commitment when he received a delegation from NPMCN led by its President Professor Ademola Olaitan, acknowledged that the college needed proper funding for it to be able to perform its statutory roles.
He, however, told his guests that the Tertiary Education Trust Fund (TETFund) as currently constituted had the mandate to intervene only in public Universities, Polytechnics, and Colleges of Education in the country.
He said it was not within the mandate of the Fund to support health institutions or other institutions outside its mandate.
The leader of the delegation, Prof Olaitan had earlier informed the Minister that the purpose of their visit was to seek alternative funding for the College through TETFund.
Olaitan said that insufficient funding had hindered the College from carrying out its basic functions adding that it critically needed a clinical skills simulation laboratory.
He noted that NPMCN was the only medical institution saddled with the responsibility of producing medical specialist for Nigeria.
Prof Olaitan urther stated that most of the products of the College were also lectures in the College /Faculties of Medical sciences and dentistry in Nigeria universities.
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