The University of Benin Teaching Hospital (UBTH) has become Nigeria’s first NSCC-NBTE/UNESCO Centre of Excellence-accredited National Skills Qualification (NSQ) training provider for Geriatric Social Care.

Director General of the National Senior Citizens Centre (NSCC), Dr. Emem Omokaro, confirmed this on Tuesday in Benin during a visit to UBTH’s Chief Medical Director, Prof. Darlington Obaseki.

Omokaro explained that beyond accreditation, the National Assembly was considering a bill to establish a regulatory framework for Nigeria’s geriatric care sector.

“The regulations will provide a legislative foundation and compel compliance with a national framework and standards for Geriatric Social Care.

“This is an initiative of the National Senior Citizens Centre in partnership with the National Board for Technical Education and Skills Nigeria Limited,” she said.

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According to her, the geriatric social care system is now streamlined, formalised with a standardised national framework, and integrated into the Federal Government Public Service work scheme.

In his remarks, Prof. Obaseki lauded NSCC’s collaboration with the National Board for Technical Education (NBTE) to formalise the sector, urging hospitals to prioritise older persons and build workforce capacity.

“Geriatric Social Care goes beyond clinical services. It requires deliberate care and specialised facilities for older persons,” Obaseki said.

UBTH pursued accreditation after successfully training and certifying Quality Assurance Assessors (QAA) in geriatric care.

The training centre is housed at UBTH’s Institute of Health Sciences and Technology (IHT).