Kogi govt reaffirms commitment to medical education, inspects CUSTECH facilities

Kogi State Government has reaffirmed its commitment to strengthening medical education and healthcare delivery with the inspection of medical students’ hostels and doctors’ quarters at the Confluence University of Science and Technology (CUSTECH) Teaching Hospital in Okene.

The inspection was carried out by the Commissioner for Information and Communications, Hon. Kingsley Femi Fanwo, alongside the Commissioner for Housing and Urban Development, Hon. Taiye Abanika.

The visit provided the commissioners with an opportunity to assess the facilities being developed to support clinical training, medical research, and improved healthcare services at the teaching hospital.

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Speaking during the inspection, Fanwo described the development as an example of what he termed “vision extension,” stressing that the transformation of the former Reference Hospital into CUSTECH Teaching Hospital demonstrated continuity in governance and development.

He recalled that the immediate past administration of former Governor Yahaya Bello established the Reference Hospital, while the administration of Governor Ahmed Usman Ododo had continued to expand its capacity and provide additional infrastructure needed for medical education and clinical services.

According to him, the development showed that projects could be sustained and improved when successive administrations built on existing foundations.

Fanwo expressed satisfaction with the quality of the students’ accommodation and doctors’ quarters, particularly the spacious rooms, reading areas, wardrobes, bathrooms and toilets, as well as the provision of solar power and internet connectivity.

He explained that the facilities were designed to provide medical students with a conducive environment for serious academic work and research, especially as they progress into the clinical stages of their training.

The commissioner noted that students in the earlier stages of their programme have accommodation at the CUSTECH campus in Osara, while those entering clinical training would have dedicated accommodation close to the teaching hospital.

Fanwo also underscored the importance of the doctors’ quarters, saying their proximity to the hospital would enhance emergency response and enable medical personnel to attend promptly to clinical responsibilities.

He said the initiative was also part of the government’s broader strategy to attract and retain qualified medical professionals in the state, noting that providing conducive working and living conditions was critical to improving healthcare delivery.

The Information Commissioner further disclosed that the development formed part of wider investments in education and healthcare infrastructure across the state, citing ongoing projects at other institutions, including the Prince Abubakar Audu University Teaching Hospital, Anyigba.

He said the government’s investment in medical education was ultimately aimed at producing doctors capable of competing professionally in Nigeria and across the world.

Fanwo therefore urged medical students to take their studies seriously and justify the resources being committed by the government to their training.

He added that future administrations must sustain the momentum by ensuring that projects designed to strengthen medical education and healthcare delivery are not abandoned, but continuously expanded to benefit generations of Kogi residents.

On his part, Abanika expressed satisfaction with the standard of the facilities inspected, describing the students’ hostel as more than a conventional accommodation facility.

He highlighted the reading spaces, beds, wardrobes, bathrooms and toilets, noting that the facilities were specifically designed to address the peculiar needs of medical students.

According to him, the accommodation would provide students undergoing clinical training with a comfortable and conducive environment while keeping them within close proximity to the teaching hospital.