Senate Approves Four New Medical Centres, Teaching Hospitals Act Amended
On Tuesday, four bills had been passed by the Senate to establish Federal Medical Centres in four states across the country.
The medical centres will be established in Osogbo, Osun State; Onitsha, Anambra State; Gada, Sokoto State; and Ijebu-Ode, Ogun State, respectively. The approval of the bills to establish the Medical Centres had followed the consideration of four separate reports by the Committee on Health (Secondary and Tertiary).
In his presentations, Senator Yahaya Oloriegbe, the Chairman of the Committee, (APC, Kwara Central), stated that the Centres would be equipped with facilities for diagnostic treatment and rehabilitation at the tertiary levels. Senator Oloriegbe also said that the centres would serve as training centres for health professionals and to conduct advance health research.
In relation to this news, on Tuesday, the Senate had also passed a bill that would amend the Teaching Hospitals (Reconstitution of Boards, etc.) Act 2004.
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In a separate presentation on a report by the Committee on Health (Secondary and Tertiary), Senator Oloriegbe had explained that the amendment to the Teaching Hospitals Act seeked to give full legislative recognition to the Federal University Lokoja Teaching Hospital.
“Every Institution needs to be backed by an enabling law. It is against this background that this bill is before the chamber. As of today, training facilities in the health sector are inadequate for the current population and projected population growth for Nigeria, currently out at 3 per cent per annum. Therefore, establishing the Federal University Lokoja Teaching Hospital will address this gap among others.”
He also added that the bill seeked to amend the First Schedule to the Principal Act to include the Federal University Lokoja Teaching Hospital, “By this amendment, it creates a legal backing for the Federal University Lokoja Teaching Hospital.”
The four bills for the establishment of the federal medical centres as well as the Bill for the amendment of the Teaching Hospitals Act 2004, were all passed by the chamber during plenary, after a clause-by-clause consideration by the Committee of the Whole.
