By Philip Nwosu
FORMER Commander of the Nigerian Army Medical Corps, Major General Samuel Ameh, has decried the poor state of the corps vis-a-vis the military hospital in Nigeria, saying the organisation lacks the necessary equipment and manpower to function appropriately.
General Ameh, who spoke at the pull-out ceremony of 14 Generals from the corps, including himself, said the present Nigerian Army Medical Corps “is grossly deficient in the area of infrastructure, right equipment and well trained manpower”.
He lamented that attempts were made in the past by some former Chiefs of Army Staff, to address the prob- lems, but they were not sustained, hence, the return to the deplorable state.
General Ameh commended the vision of the present Chief of Army Staff, Lieutenant General Tukur Buratailed administration to commission a sizeable number of qualified health personnel into the corps, and bring in consultants who would be commissioned into the ranks of Major.
The former head of the corps said the solution to the problems should be a holistic and sustainable one to enable the corps be in a better position to provide timely and comprehensive medical support to the fighting troops for the enhancement of the Nigerian Army combat efficiency.