Ondo State Governor, Arakunrin Oluwarotimi Akeredolu,SAN, has commissioned the newly-built Critical Care Unit (CCU) Building at the University of Medical Sciences Teaching Hospital Complex (UNIMEDTHC), Akure, the state capital.

The Governor also laid the foundation of a new main teaching hospital complex, as part of his determination to make the teaching hospital in the state a world-class modern tertiary facility.

According to Arakunrin Akeredolu, Ondo State was hitherto the only State without a tertiary health care facility among the South western states in Nigeria.

He noted that the state has not only surpassed the other States in terms of improvement in health delivery indices, but has also gotten accreditation in all its clinical service departments in a record time of one year.

”We have equally reversed the trend of Ondo State indigenes and residents of the State seeking tertiary health care outside the State.” the Governor said.

Arakunrin Akeredolu explained that his administration passed into law the establishment of the University of Medical Sciences Teaching Complex (UNIMEDTHC, adding that the Law amalgamated existing specialist hospitals to form a Multi-Complex Teaching Hospital, named University of Medical Sciences Teaching Hospital Complex for the already existing University of Medical Sciences.

He said:” We ingeniously sourced medical equipment at a reduced cost to cover identified infrastructural gaps in all our hospitals. This has improved diagnostic and therapeutic capabilities of all our public hospitals.

”We passed into Law the Primary Health Care Bill to empower the Primary Health Care Board to carry out its work more effectively and efficiently. This will also position us to benefit from the National Basic Health Fund which will, in turn, improve the health wellbeing of our citizens at the community level.

”The State Government, in order to improve the capacity of our primary training Health Institution in the State has also upgraded the School of Health Technology, Akure into a degree-awarding College of Health Technology. The college is now better positioned to train health personnel. We intend to improve the infrastructural facilities at the College.

”We passed into law the bill incorporating the School of Nursing and Midwifery into the University of Medical Sciences. This singular act has enriched the training of our nurses in compliance with the aspirations of the Nursing Councils.”Following the amalgamation of the facilities, we have reorganized, restructured and embarked upon building new structures to have a modern and standard teaching hospital.

”We have also recruited highly qualified personnel to match the upgrade in the facility. We have recruited over 750 personnel across board.

”We are also providing more ambulances, buses and services vehicles to ease movement of staff and patients across the three complexes of the Teaching Hospital.

”We have also decided to acquire some neighbouring buildings to allow for further expansion of the Akure Complex of the Teaching Hospital. These buildings are too close to the hospitals and the occupants are in possible health jeopardy.”

Olabode Richard Olatunde
Special Assistant to the Governor (New Media)
December 3, 2019