AT the University of Lagos (UNILAG) Medical Centre, a white ambulance belonging to the hospital was parked under a shed by the entrance of the hospital. Students were seated calmly at the waiting room waiting to see the doctor or waiting for their friends who were on admission.

An elderly nurse was taking the necessary information from the patients before passing their files to a young female medical student.

One of the students, Temitope Arowolo from Department of Mass Communication, said the medical centre does not really function very well because what they give to the students is only Paracetamol and some other common tablets when they go and complain to the doctors.

She also added that the hospital has good wards but not too sufficient beds that can take a good number of students at a time.

She said they have an effective laboratory to carry out medical tests for malaria, typhoid and blood genotype or blood group. “But if it is anything beyond their capabilities they refer the students to Lagos University Teaching Hospital (LUTH), Idi-Araba.”

According to her, before the students are attended to at the clinic, they must have their student identification cards and medical cards.
“If they don’t have any of those cards they won’t be attended to. Instead the students will be told to sit while their friends go and get his or her Identity Card.

The Pharmacy in the medical centre is fair too but most times students are asked to get from outside antibiotics that are not readily available there. The x-ray facility is really very good with the necessary machines and qualified radiologists to carry out test and the results come out on time too.”

A 400 level student of Philosophy, Hope Ezenwa said the nurses could sometime be harsh on the students when they are under pressure.

She admitted that the laboratory is very effective and basic blood tests and urine tests are carried out.

A 300 student of Faculty of Arts and Social Science, Olamide Abidemi disclosed that the medical centre has good doctors and nurses and some health students on internships. What these students do is to help at the record departments.

“The medical centre has a good laboratory that is very effective, but they sometimes refer students to National Institute of Medical Research (NIMR), Yaba.”