From Ighomuaye Lucky, Benin
Former Head of State, General Yakubu Gowon, yesterday, urged the Federal Government to invest more in the country’s health sector to meet up with its citizens’ health’s demands.
He made the call at the grand finale of the University of Benin Teaching Hospital (UBTH) 50th anniversary held in Benin City.
He said the healthcare system was evolving, adding that the country should move in the same direction by investing in the training and retraining of healthcare practitioners to enable them meet with the present health demands.
“As we celebrate this milestone of UBTH, we should also remember the challenges that lie ahead in our healthcare system.
“Our healthcare is currently evolving and we should continue to adapt and innovate to enable us meet the challenging needs of patients. “Let us renew our commitment to providing healthcare to all Nigerians, let us work together to build a healthcare system that is accessible and affordable and equitable for all,” he said.
Health Minister Dr Osagie Ehanire, said UBTH is the public health sector’s oldest and arguably best asset in the South-South zone of Nigeria and has been a cradle of quality education for medical doctors and nurses as well as a regional referral and treatment centre for other health facilities from inception. He noted that the strategic location of UBTH, about half way between East and West and as the gateway to the Niger Delta region, gives it a central role in the national strategy to build a resilient health system by ensuring availability of critical services within reasonable travel distance.
In his speech, Edo State Governor, Godwin Obaseki, called for a more dynamic and functional model for financing educational institutions in Nigeria through robust partnership with the private sector. The Chief Medical Director, (CMD) UBTH, Prof. Darlington Obaseki, said while most of the founding fathers of the hospital may not be present, their main vision, which was to establish a hospital that offers quality healthcare solutions, still remains its mission.
He said that has constituted the beacon that has propelled all their actioos, stressing that the founding fathers’ foresight and commitment was commendable.