FG Planning To Upgrade FMC Owo to Teaching Hospital – Reps

The Federal Government is reportedly planning the upgrade the Federal Medical Centre (FMC), Owo, Ondo State, to a Teaching Hospital.

The chairman of the House of Representatives Committee on Health, Amos Magaji, disclosed this, adding that the House is looking into the process that will ensure the upgrading of the facilities at FMC, Owo to a teaching hospital.

He spoke during an oversight function of the committee to the hospital, adding that FMC will serve as a clinical training site for medical students.

He, however, said this cannot be done by pronouncement, but through a constitutional means.

Magagi while meeting with the management and staff of the hospital led by the Chief Medical Director, Liasu Adeagbo, said converting the centre into a Teaching Hospital will help to attend to the health needs of the people.

Magaji said, “Federal medical centre will not be able to address the health need of the country, there must be an active collaboration with state governments, donor agencies and spirited individuals to ensure that Nigerians are healthy.

“We will look at how Federal Medical Center Owo can be upgraded into a teaching hospital and see everything that has to be done through a process which cannot be done in one day. We will look at the law and we will also look at the policies.”

The team however, inspected some facilities in the hospital including the New Accident & Emergency, Research centre, Isolation ward, Molecular Laboratory, Radiology Department, General Outpatient building under construction and Guest House under construction among others

Magaji commended the management of FMC Owo for their diligence in keeping the hospital clean and making good use of the little resources they have to provide qualitative health services to the people.

He promised to take as a matter of urgency, the issues of employment and replacement of workers in the health sector.

“We are going to sit down when we get to Abuja and see how we are going to tackle all these issues that were tabled by the relevant agencies of government and find a way of dealing with human resources for health.

“There is no sector of the economy that this japa syndrome hit like the health sector”