Follow Us on Google
From Magnus Eze, Enugu
The Federal Government has tasked the Federal College of Dental Technology and Therapy Enugu to boost its contribution to the development of manpower for the country’s healthcare delivery system.
It applauded the dental college for the innumerable manpower it has built up since its establishment in 1955, but said that there should be more students’ enrollment in correspondence with the existing facilities in the institution. This will enable the institution produce more manpower for the healthcare sector.
Minister of State for Health, Dr. Tunji Alausa gave the charge while on working tour of the federal healthcare centres and institutions in Enugu State.
He spoke shortly after commissioning some projects executed by the administration of the Rector of the Dental College, Prof John Emaimo.
Some of the completed projects commissioned by the minister were a block of two large lecture halls, a block of biomedical laboratory and lecture hall, a block of two large classrooms and six offices in suites with toilets, Rector’s lodge, Centre for Entrepreneurial Development building, Lawn Tennis court, Medical Centre Extension and 16 units of toilets.
Alausa commended the administration of Prof Emaimo for the infrastructure, tidiness and discipline in the college, noting that he was impressed with what he saw in the college.
The minister said: “I commend the Rector of the college, Prof John Emaimo for the excellent work he has done here. President Bola Tinubu has given the Minister of Health and I the mandate to revamp, strengthen and restructure the healthcare system at Pillar Two, in improving the population outcome by strengthening the healthcare delivery system.
“What they are doing in the Federal College of Dental Technology and Therapy Enugu falls into Pillar Two. It’s producing good dental manpower to go into the health workforce to help in providing the desirable manpower that we need to continue in the provision of quality healthcare to the citizens of Nigeria.
“We are providing facilities to the Dental College Enugu to help train the students better, just as in other healthcare institutions; we have to produce more healthcare workers to meet the demand of our healthcare workforce.
“The college has done well but there is still room for improvement, my advice is that I want the Rector to begin to increase the capacity to admit more students. We have young brilliant Nigerians that want to go to school. They want to study courses that will be productive to the country and society at large.
“I know the Rector has built the students’ population base, but he should double it.”
