Underfunding is crippling our programmes’

The President, National Postgraduate Medical College, Lagos, Prof. Rasheed Arogundade, has lamented the paucity of funds for the development of the college programmes and infrastructure.

He spoke at a briefing heralding the college’s 32nd convocation in Ijanikin, Lagos on Thursday.

Arogundade noted that despite overtures to the Tertiary Education Trust Fund, the College had not been able to access funds for the construction of its Clinical Skills and Simulation Laboratory.

The facility, according to him, is to serve as the Performance and Cognition Skills examination centre for teaching clinical skills and competencies.

“The most daunting challenge undermining attainment of this function is gross underfunding by the Federal Government. The result of this is poor stock of our college library, which ought to have been the best reference medical library in the country for resident doctors and consultants.

“The College of Pathological Museum has yet to be fully developed also. Inadequate fund has also hindered the circulation of the college journal, which is one of such few journals listed in the world acclaimed Index Medicus. Due to lack of funds, the laudable programme of overseas clinical attachment designed to give successful Part 1 candidates exposure to facilities and practice in more advanced countries, has now become epileptic in its implementation. The college is currently using a rented property in Abuja because it lacks essential funding to acquire land to erect property deserving of its status,’’ he said.

Calling for the immediate release of funds for the college, Arogundade announced that 247 candidates would graduate from the college this year.

The figure, he said, would bring to 4, 705 candidates, who have graduated as fellows from the college.

He added that 16 Nigerians who made great contributions to the nation’s health sector would receive honorary fellowship awards on the occasion.

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