By Haruna ABDULRASHID
The Federal Government of Nigeria has commenced the process of converting the Federal Medical Centre, Azare in Katagum Local Government Area of Bauchi State, to the status of a Teaching Hospital.
Dr Jimoh Olawole Salaudeen, Director of Hospital Services, Federal Ministry of Health, who stated this when he visited the Emir of Katagum, Alhaji Umar Faruq II, in his palace informed him that the team was in Azare and Misau on an assessment visit to the Federal Medical Centre Azare and General Hospital Misau in preparation for the upgrading of the two hospitals to the Teaching Hospital and the Federal Medical Centre, respectively.
He added that with the Federal University of Health Sciences Azare (FUHSA), the Federal Medical Centre in the same Azare was the closest to serving as a laboratory when the hospital was converted to a teaching hospital.
The Director of Hospital Services said that the assessment visit will help the federal government identify the gap and see what they have on hand in terms of personnel, infrastructure, equipment, and land mass for future expansion.
Saludeen, who noted that they have visited all the institutions, the university, the present FMC Azare, and the current General Hospital Misau, revealed that they found out that all the facilities are there, adding that once the facilities are better equipped and the manpower is improved, FMC Azare is good to become a teaching hospital.
He commended the Emirs of Katagum and Misau for giving them a warm reception and showing enthusiasm and hope of seeing the two institutions transformed for better health care delivery.
Also speaking, Dr. Dauda Abubakar Katagum( Zanna Dujuma of Katagum), Medical Director of Federal Medical Centre FMC Azare, said that the Federal Government’s move to transform the hospital into a teaching hospital is a very welcome development to the North-East zone.
The MD, while appreciating President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, and the Coordinating Minister of Health ànd Social Welfare for the privileged opportunity, said that the North-East has been in a very disadvantaged situation in terms of health care services in the past.
He, however, expressed delight that, with the current effort of the federal government to transform FMC Azare into a teaching hospital and General Hospital Misau into the Federal Medical Centre Misau, a lot of medical personnel would be trained to cater for the whole of the Northeast zone in terms of medical doctors, nurses, radiographers, and dental surgeons, among others.
The MD, who called on the host communities to enrol their children into the university to study different courses relating to health, urged philanthropists to support disadvantaged students who could not afford the tuition fees.
On his part, the Emir of Katagum, Alhaji Umar Faruq II, commended President Tinubu for initiating the transformation of the federal medical center Azare into a teaching hospital, adding that the gesture will improve healthcare delivery to the citizens.
He appreciated the resource assessment committee of the federal government led by Saludeen, for taking the time to visit all the hospitals as well as paying him homage in his palace.
