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‘Nigeria needs infrastructure upgrade to reduce capital flights on dental care

By Kingsley Jeremiah, Abuja
21 December 2017   |   2:53 am
Nigeria and other African countries will reduce capital flights on medical tourism, especially in the area of dental healthcare if the federal government overhauls dilapidated infrastructure and re-position the Federal College of Dental Technology and Therapy, Enugu (FCDTTE). The institution, transitioned from a diploma awarding institution to the status of a degree awarding recently by…

Nigeria and other African countries will reduce capital flights on medical tourism, especially in the area of dental healthcare if the federal government overhauls dilapidated infrastructure and re-position the Federal College of Dental Technology and Therapy, Enugu (FCDTTE).

The institution, transitioned from a diploma awarding institution to the status of a degree awarding recently by President Muhammadu Buhari still lack basic amenities that would enable it address key challenges in the country’s health sector, the Rector of the institution, John Emaimo told newsmen in Abuja.

Established since 1955, Emaimo said the institution, which remained the only one in the continent lacks infrastructures, learning facilities and adequate funding.

He said dental technologists, who are saddled with the responsibilities of fabricating artificial teeth, eye, and nose, ear among other bony and fleshy parts of the crannies are key to the health system and therefore require adequate training that would improve service delivery in the sector.

“We lose huge amount of conservable foreign exchange to poor dental health care in Nigeria. We appreciate what the President has done but as a new degree awarding college, we will require better infrastructure, modern skills, more man power and increment in budgetary allocation for function well. New approaches and strategies are needed now to function optimally.”

Emaimo lamented that the sector relied on foreign facilities that could not be substituted with local ones, stressing that plans are underway for the school to produce local equipment to bridge the gap in the country.

According to him, placing the college on special intervention in area of healthcare delivery will enable it function optimally and regain its past glory as centre of excellence on the continent.

“Through this measure the college will regain its past glory of Centre of excellence and a hub in African continent for training of quality dental technologists and therapists among others in dental care.
The rector identified the college as the only school in West African region with the mandate of training dental technologists and therapists.

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