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Philanthropist donates N5b paediatrics centre to Ul, UCH

By Victor Gbonegun
20 January 2021   |   4:04 am
Founder of First City Monument Bank (FCMB) Group, Dr. Michael Olasubomi Balogun, yesterday, handed over the N5b Otunba Tunwase National Paediatrics Centre (OTNPC) Ijebu-Ode to the University of Ibadan (UI) and University College Hospital (UCH), Ibadan.

University of Ibadan

Founder of First City Monument Bank (FCMB) Group, Dr. Michael Olasubomi Balogun, yesterday, handed over the N5b Otunba Tunwase National Paediatrics Centre (OTNPC) Ijebu-Ode to the University of Ibadan (UI) and University College Hospital (UCH), Ibadan.

Balogun donated the OTNPC, which he conceived and built as a tertiary medical institution for teaching, research and healthcare delivery in 2008 to UI and UCH to manage the facility and boost healthcare delivery for children in the country.

At the initial stage the hospital was a Paediatrics Centre. However, the services have since diversified to include, Paediatrics, Obstetrics and Gynecology, Surgery, internal and Community Medicine, Laboratory and Radiological Services.

Speaking at the ceremony, Group Chief Executive and Chairman, Board of Otunba Tunwase Foundation, Ladi Balogun, who represented his father and the donor, stressed that the facility was a gift from the astute banker to the UCH and UI.

He said the hand over followed the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with UI and UCH in October 2020 in Lagos, noting that the gesture marked a significant milestone for a project embarked upon 11 years ago.

He explained that the decision to donate the centre to the UCH and UI was to provide a world-class medical facility to Nigerians, especially children, by an individual who had always desired the socio-economic development of the country.

Ladi disclosed that while the UCH was mandated to provide clinical services, UI would engage in research and other academic works, while students of the university would be trained at the centre.

Acting Vice Chancellor of UI, Prof. Adebola Ekanola, Chief Medical Director (CMD) of UCH, Prof. Abiodun Otegbayo, Provost, College of Medicine, Prof. (Mrs.) Yinka Omigbodun and Chairman, Interim Transition Management Committee of OTNPC, Dr. Adeyinka Hassan, among other personalities, attended the event.

“Subomi Balogun is a renown statesman, entrepreneur and philanthropist with several projects and programmes in Ijebu-Ode and other parts of Nigeria. “His philanthropic gestures range from the provision of this world class medical facility to education, capacity building, youth empowerment and other socio-economic initiatives, aimed at enhancing the development of humanity and society in general,” Ladi said.

Speaking, Otegbayo commended Balogun for establishing the facility in Ijebu-Ode and for donating it to UCH and UI to further enhance quality healthcare delivery to the people, assuring that the same quality healthcare services administered at the UCH Ibadan, would be replicated at the centre.

On his part, Prof. Ekanola, who was represented by Prof. Omigbodun, assured that the facility would be transformed into the best paediatrics hospital in sub-Saharan Africa.

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