FMC OWERRI NEEDS UPGRADE TO TEACHING HOSPITAL — MINISTER OF STATE, HEALTH
Reporter : CHIKA EWURUM
The Minister of Health for State, Senator Adeleke Mamura, has tasked the management of Federal Medical Centre (FMC) Owerri to initiate the upgrade of the Medical Centre to a Teaching Hospital.
Senator Mamura gave the charge during a visit to inaugurate some of the facilities completed by the Management led by the Chief Medical Director, Dr. Kingsley Achugwuo.
The Minister, who acknowledged that the medical centre was one of the busiest hospitals in the country, said it had transformed itself into a first grade health institution.
He noted that the request for the upgrade of the medical centre to a Teaching Hospital was a legitimate one and charged the management to push for it through the state government.
“That request is legitimate because we have done it for some states not based on sentiments but based on due process with certain perimeters or criteria. It is now for you to initiate the process through the state government,” the Minister advised.
He commended the centre for priding itself with medical and health experts who could compete effectively with their counterparts anywhere in the world.
According to Health Minister, the Federal Government will continue to support the health institution and urged those at the helm of affairs to engage the private sector through public-private partnership since it does not have all the resources amidst competing needs.
The Minister also described the lists of projects to be inaugurated as an evidence of prudent management of resources and harmonious working relationship.
The Board Chairman of the health centre, Dr. Salman Adebayo, in a remark emphasized that the achievement recorded by the Chief Medical Director, Dr. Achigbu, was as a result of good working relationship between him and his team.
He towed the line of the CMD and appealed for the intervention of the Minister to facilitate the upgrade of the health centre.
Earlier, in an address the Chief Medical Director, FMC Owerri, Dr. Kingsley Achigbu, appealed to the Minister to upgrade the health institution to a Teaching hospital as it had improved in standard and service delivery.
“For FMC, we deserve an upgrade to a Teaching Hospital. Recently, this has been made desirable with the NUC approval of Federal University of Technology Owerri, FUTO Medical school,” he said.
Dr. Achigbu explained that the medical centre offered primary, secondary and tertiary care, which renders service to about 6 states with 7 million population.
The FMC helmsman recalled that the health centre ran internship program for medical students of some tertiary institutions in the state.
The Minister inaugurated dialysis centre, MRI, Research centre, Isolation complex, Neuro-surgical Ward, Outreach centres and 33KVA Transformer.