18 Varsities Get N100bn To Train Doctors, Pharmacists, Nurses, Dentists
By Alice Etuka, Abuja
As part of efforts to address the shortage of medical personnel in the country, the Federal Government has allocated over N100 billion to 18 Public Universities to boost enrollment into Medicine and Surgery, Pharmacy, Dentistry and Nursing Programs.
The Minister of Education, Dr. Tunji Alausa announced this on Tuesday, at the inauguration of the Ministerial Committee on TETFund High Impact Intervention Project for Medical Schools Rehabilitation Across the Six Geo-political Zones, held in Abuja.
Alausa stated that the project marked another significant milestone in the effort to reposition medical education in Nigeria. Advance the broader goals of the renewal of President Tinubu. “
“This project is a deliberate response to the urgent need to expand our medical training capacity by rehabilitating and modernising key infrastructures, lecture theatres, laboratories, hostels, clinical learning environment to significantly increase enrollment in medicine, dentistry, pharmacy and nursing programmes across these selected 18 universities”, he said.
The Minister added, “We’re not just expanding assets, we’re laying a strong foundation for producing a new generation of highly trained health professionals who will serve Nigeria today and lead the world tomorrow. The world has changed. We need to go beyond just physical learning to more blended learning online”.
Giving a breakdown of the amount allocated, the Minister said, “today, we are deploying over 100 billion naira investments in our medical institutions across the country.
“70 billion investment in rehabilitating our medical institutions, as well as 15 billion naira investments in building hostels, a new hostel for each of these institutions that we are building, as well as 6 of these institutions will get a medical simulation environment”.
On his part, the Executive Secretary of TETFund, Arc. Sonny Echono explained that the intervention was designed to improve infrastructure in medical schools, through the rehabilitation of lecture theatres and laboratory facilities thereby enhancing capacity to take-in and produce more Doctors, Nurses, Dentists and Pharmacists for the nation.
“There is absolutely no doubt that the intervention will go a long way in solving some of the challenges facing the health sector in the country. The provision of critical manpower in the health sector remains a huge challenge.
“The problems of insufficient and unqualified medical personnel have lingered for far too long. The challenges of ill-equipped medical facilities have also persisted. It is for these reasons that the intervention is considered not only important but also timely”, he said.
Meanwhile, the Senior Special Assistant to the President on Student Engagement, Comrade Sunday Asefon, thanked President Bola Tinubu for his impact on the country’s education system adding that universities have recorded almost two years of uninterrupted academic calendar since his assumption of office.
The beneficiaries institutions include:
University of Jos, Ahmadu Bello University, University of Benin, Imo State University, University of Medical Sciences, Ondo State, Umaru Musa Yar’Adua University, Katsina
University of Calabar, Benue State University, University of Maiduguri, Abubakar Tafawa Balewa University,
Gombe State University, University of Nigeria Nsukka, Nnamdi Azikiwe University, Bayelsa State University, Usman Danfodiyo University, Sokoto, University of Ibadan and University of Lagos.
