From: Laide Raheem, Abeokuta
Determined to transform from just being a medical Centre to a teaching hospital, the management of the Federal Medical Centre (FMC), Abeokuta, has acquired 170 hectares of land to build a University of Medicine and School of Preliminary Studies.
Medical Director of the Centre, Prof. Adewale Musa-Olomu, made this known, on Wednesday, in Abeokuta, at a press conference marking his 100 days in office.
Musa-Olomu disclosed that an expanse of land worth N2.6 billion and located in the Obafemi-Owode Local Government Area of Ogun State, was given to the FMC by the state government free of charge.
He explained that successive medical directors had made frantic efforts to achieve the upgrading of the Centre to a teaching hospital, but there was no university to be affiliated to.
He added that the management tried to affiliate the Centre with the Federal University of Agriculture (FUNAAB), Abeokuta, to kick-start a teaching hospital, but the specialisation of the university could not allow for such arrangement.
The FMC Medical Director, however, expressed optimism that, with the newly-acquired land and the willingness of local and international agencies to support the establishment of the medical university, work would soon commence on the project.
Said he, “We all know that Federal Medical Centres are established where there are no teaching hospitals, and there is no way you get a teaching hospital without having a university where theoretical aspects of medical training will be taught.
“So, in our efforts to ensure FMC, Abeokuta is upgraded to a teaching hospital, we have acquired 170 hectares of land courtesy of the Ogun State government, where we will build our medical university and school of preliminary studies. Past medical directors of the Centre had tried to achieve this upgrade with the Federal University of Agriculture Abeokuta (FUNAAB), but the specialisation of the varsity on agriculture could not allow it to work.
“I am quite optimistic that with this acquisition of land as well as the willingness of local and foreign agencies to back us on this, the dream of transforming the FMC, Abeokuta, to the status of a teaching hospital will soon come to reality”. He stated.
The medical director further listed his achievements in 100 days to include, breaking new grounds in research activities, increment in IGR through the establishment of table water and intravenous fluid factories, rural health integration, training and re-training of staff, collaborative research among others.