By John Odunayo
THE Chief Medical Director, Federal Teaching Hospital, Ido Ekiti (FETHI), Prof. Adekunle Ajayi, has said that the health facility has what it takes to give the Federal University of Oye Ekiti,
(FUOYE) the standard platform to launch into stardom in medical education.
Ajayi, who spoke at Ido Ekiti while playing host to members of FUOYE Council and management, who were on a visit, said that FETHI already had experience on its side alongside facilities, equipment and personnel, expressing hope that FUOYE would capitalize on them.
FUOYE is to begin using FETHI as teaching hospital and clinics for its medical students following approval by the Federal Government.
The CMD lauded the commitment of FUOYE’s political leadership, saying it would ensure mobilization of needed resources “to improve quality of medical education and consequently the capacity of our health workforce to be able to effectively care for Nigerians”.
He said that medical education is capital intensive hence “the hospital and university must partner to ensure that the required facilities are made available for the students to have quality training.
He canvassed support of the university Council for the managements of FUOYE and FETHI “to be able to bequeath to the people of Nigeria professionals and health workers who will give us hope for survival when we require their services.
“We are lucky because we have experience. As at today, we have trained six sets of medical doctors for Afe Babalola University, Ado Ekiti and by November, we will be producing the seventh set. We are more than prepared,” the CMD said.
On FETHI’s personnel strength, Prof. Ajayi said, “We have over 100 consultants in different fields of medicine. We have about 180 resident doctors currently in training in this hospital. We have over 400 nurses in different areas of specialisation, we have about 38 pharmacists”, among others.
FUOYE Governing Council Chairman, Engr Kayode Ojo, who hailed the CMD for what is on ground, assured that his institution’s partnership with FETHI to train students would boost medical education in the country.
Ojo, who assured that necessary steps would be taken to do the needful to facilitate aggressive improvement of FETHI, said the council would look urgently into the issue of hostel accommodation for the students at the teaching hospital.
The FUOYE Council Chairman said, “Repositioning medical education and the health sector should not be compromised. Our task as a council is to make things better. We will support the management. Standard health facilities are key. That is why an institution like this is crucial and we must improve it.
“I am extremely interested in seeing how we can improve this health institution so that it can benefit the students, the personnel and also the hospital as it relates to the community,” Ojo said
FUOYE Vice Chancellor, Prof. Abayomi Fasina, said the visit was for the Council to have first-hand information, “so that it will take very good decision on the way forward on how we can pump infrastructure into this place to really train our students properly”.
The VC, who expressed satisfaction with FETHI, said, “It is in view of what is here that we are bringing our students here. We got a letter of approval from the Federal Government to use this place as our clinics, our teaching hospital and our workshop.
“We are very glad to bring our students here. I am so confident that with the best of lecturers, they have it here in FETHI. With 100 consultants, 180 resident doctors, we are good to go and the patients are there,” Fasina said.