FMC Owerri has all it takes to be teaching hospital –Health minister

From George Onyejiuwa, Owerri

The Minister of State for Health, Senator Adeleke Mamora, has said that the Federal Medical Centre, Owerri, Imo State has all it takes to become a teaching hospital going by the quality of medical facilities at the centre.

This is as the minister urged the Imo State government to initiate the process for the immediate upgrade of the Federal Medical Centre facility to the status of a teaching hospital as the Federal Ministry of Health is ready to make their request come to fruition.

Senator Mamora who stated this in Owerri during the commissioning of 33 projects executed by the management of the Federal Medical Centre, Owerri, said that the request by the management to upgrade the federal medical facility to a teaching hospital is legitimate as it has all it takes to compete with its peers across the country.

His words: “I am very impressed  by the 33 projects which has been executed by the management primarily to enhance its quality of health service delivery to the people of the state and beyond.  I am also impressed with the Renal Dialysis centre, MRI centre, the Neurosurgical ward,10-bed ICU equipment, the incinerator and others which are indication of good vision and prudent financial management .

“The management has made a legitimate request that the Federal Medical Centre, Owerri be upgraded to a teaching status, which legitimate and medical centre has all it takes to compete very well with their peers. But the process should be initiated by the state government and when the ministry gets the request we will take it up from there. It is doable and the ministry has also granted similar requests. I must commend the management for what it has achieved.”

Earlier, the Medical Director of the centre, Dr Kingsley Achigbu said that the recent approval of the Federal University of Technology Owerri Medical School, as well as the already existing Memorandum of Understanding between the institutions has made the upgrading of the medical facility to a teaching hospital imperative.