President Bola Tinubu has ordered the immediate establishment of a Teaching Hospital in Akure, the capital of Ondo State, directing that all necessary arrangements be made to ensure the hospital’s swift setup.
Once completed, the teaching hospital will support the training of medical students from the Federal University of Technology, Akure (FUTA).
In line with Tinubu’s directive, the Minister of Health and Social Welfare, Prof. Mohammad Pate, dispatched a team to Ondo State to assess the existing infrastructure so that the new teaching hospital could be included in the 2025 budget.
Dr. Jimoh Olawole Salaudeen, Director of Hospital Services at the Federal Ministry of Health, led the Presidential team to Akure and inspected the designated site for the teaching hospital.
During the inspection, Salaudeen also visited the Akure Annex of the University of Medical Sciences Teaching Hospital (UNIMEDTH) and was informed that the state hospital would temporarily serve as the teaching hospital.
Salaudeen expressed satisfaction with the efforts made by FUTA, the Akure community, and the state government, noting that the teaching hospital would soon become operational due to the available facilities.
According to him, “There was a directive from Mr. President to establish a federal teaching hospital in Akure. This mandate was given to the Minister of Health, Mohammad Ali Pate, to ensure the swift establishment of the institution.
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“We are here to interact with the state government and confirm the site they are offering for the teaching hospital. We learned that FUTA has already started training medical students, currently at the 300-level.
“The state government has provided a temporary site for the teaching hospital, and we are pleased to see that a permanent location has also been allocated, with structures such as an auditorium, a health center, and classrooms in place.”
“We have reviewed the temporary site in terms of equipment needs so we can address any gaps to create a model federal tertiary hospital, which will enhance medical student training.”
“With the strong support of the community, we are hopeful for the successful commencement of clinical training, which will greatly benefit students’ learning experiences.”
The Ondo State Commissioner for Health, Dr. Banji Ajaka, assured that the state government is fully prepared to support the project in line with the president’s directive.
Ajaka stated, “Before the permanent site is ready for academic use, we will start from an interim location. We have drafted a Memorandum of Understanding and completed various preliminary steps. Our goal is to ensure that medical students can graduate on schedule.”
The Vice-Chancellor of FUTA, Prof. Adenike Oladiji, expressed relief, noting that the institution had been concerned about the lack of a teaching hospital for medical students’ clinical studies.
She said, “I am extremely grateful that we have a government that listens to the needs of the people.”
“We have a medical school and have been wondering how to secure a teaching hospital. Fortunately, the federal government has come to our aid.”
“We also have a department of biomedical engineering. Our aim is to enable our engineers to produce medical equipment, which will contribute significantly to the School of Health Sciences.”
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