President Bola Tinubu has urged Nigerians to give support to the efforts of the federal government towards its commitment to providing a desirable healthcare system in the country.
Tinubu emphasised that to achieve the feat, his administration is expanding the footprints of the Nigerian health sector in collaboration with state governments.
The President disclosed this through the Coordinating Minister of Health and Social Welfare, Prof. Ali Pate, during the official transfer of the Akure complex of the University of Medical Sciences Teaching Hospital (UNIMEDTH) to the Federal University of Technology Akure Teaching Hospital (FUTATH).
The ceded facility is one of three teaching hospital complexes owned by UNIMED, which will now be left with two, both at the Medical Village, Laje Road and Hospital Road in Ondo City, Ondo State.
According to him, the new federal government-owned teaching hospital will transform the health landscape of Ondo State and Nigeria in terms of training, research, and services.
He said, “I want to thank the governor and his team for the amazing collaboration and facilitation to get us to the point we are today. His Excellency, President Bola Ahmed, is committed to changing the health and social landscape of this country and is doing that with focus, boldness, and determination.
“To the health workers that are going to be working now, transiting to the Federal Government, I also assure you that we will cherish you, we’ll build you, and you will commit yourselves to the service of our people and the service of humanity.”
Pate hailed the national leader of Afenifere, Pa Reuben Fasoranti, and the Deji of Akure, Oba Ogunlade Aladetoyinbo, among many others, for their roles in the actualisation of the dream.
Performing the official handing over and unveiling in Akure, Governor Lucky Aiyedatiwa, who was represented by his deputy, Olayide Adelami, said his administration took the bold step to further deepen medical education and research in the country.
“The decision to hand over this hospital is rooted in a clear and strategic vision to elevate the standard of healthcare for every citizen of Ondo State and the country as a whole.
“By handing over this asset to the Federal Government of Nigeria, we are effectively unlocking a stream of superior funding, advanced equipment procurement, specialised personnel recruitment, and robust inclusion in national and international research networks.
“We are confident that the brilliant minds we train here will benefit from enhanced research opportunities and collaboration with federal universities. I see a future where this institution, now under the Federal Government, will become a globally recognised centre of medical excellence, saving countless lives and defining a new era of healthcare in Nigeria.”
On his part, the Chief Medical Director of FUTATH, Prof. Olusegun Ojo, stated that the new facility “will focus on advanced diagnostics and sub-specialist care, and this will reduce the burden of travel and related expenses on patients and their families. It will also reduce morbidity and mortality associated with delayed access to specialist healthcare that medical tourism entails.”
