Medical college needs more fund, says president

The President, National Postgraduate Medical College of Nigeria (NPMCN), Ijanikin, Lagos, Prof. Rasheed Arogundade has appealed to the Federal Government to increase the subvention of the college.

According to him, paucity of fund is strongly affecting the main function of the college to produce adequate number of medical and dental specialists of the highest quality, competence and dedication for the country.

He said this at the college 32nd convocation ceremony held last week. Arogundade also revealed that the personnel and overhead subventions have been grossly slashed to the extent that the college could not fulfill its personnel tax obligations promptly which is now in arrears.

Also appealing to the Tertiary Education Trust fund (TETfund) to come to the aid of the college, he said they are the ones that could help the college in the establishment of a clinical skills laboratory, equipped with mannequins intended for use to teach different clinical skills and competencies because in these days, there are fewer patients for examination purpose as well as for teaching the students.

“The college absolutely believes that our salvation for this important project lies in the doorstep of TETfund, since our main mandate is for medical education at the highest level.

That is why the current college management has appealed to TETfund Executive Secretary during a courtesy visit to come to our aid,” he said. Prof. Arogundade also used the opportunity to remind the federal government of the need to sponsor the overseas clinical attachment designed to give successful part one students exposure to facilities and practice in more advanced countries especially in selected sub-specialties.

According to him, the epileptic implementation of this essential component of training will be detrimental in the long run for the country.

The Minister of Health, Prof. Onyebuchi Chukwu, represented by a fellow of the college, Dr. Patience Oshinubi, told the graduates to look into the private sector because there are huge untapped potentials in the private sector which will definitely help the country if well used.

“Today, many of our patients were referred to private hospitals outside the country which are not well equipped and that shows that we must therefore develop private sector in the country, I will therefore encourage you to pair up with excellent minds and establish state of the art medical facilities where our people can attend to get good treatment,” he said.

The speaker, House of Representatives, Hon. Aminu Tambuwal, represented by a member of the house, Dr. Joseph Kigbu told the audience that the house would continue to do all in its powers to provide the college with the enabling power and other requisite assistance.

The Governor of Lagos State, Mr. Babatunde Fashola, represented by his Special Adviser on Education, Otunba Fatai Olukoga called on the college to work with the state government to find a way round the problem of frequent strikes in the sector

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