The Niger State Government has set a six-month to one-year timeline to resolve the clinical training crisis facing medical students of Ibrahim Badamasi Babangida University (IBBU), Lapai, following delays in the construction of the university’s permanent teaching hospital.
The State Commissioner for Health, Dr. Murtala Muhammad Bagana, disclosed this on Friday at the Ministry of Health’s second quarterly media parley in Minna, assuring that the next batch of medical students would not have to leave the state for clinical training.
The first batch of 41 students had been moved to Zaria for their clinical training, but Bagana said the government was putting temporary facilities in place for the next batch while work continues on the permanent teaching hospital.
He explained that the construction project was delayed by a disagreement with the contractor, which had now been resolved, paving the way for the contract to be re-awarded.
According to him, “In view of that, we have lost some mileage, as there was some disagreement along the way. But finally, we are at the point where the contract would be re-awarded to another contractor who would take us to the promised land”.
Dr. Bagana disclosed that the permanent teaching hospital is now expected to take between 18 months or more to complete, but the government would not wait that long before commencing clinical training in Minna.
“We are not waiting for the teaching hospital to be completed before we start training our students. In the next six months to one year, we will have our facilities ready for them. We are committed to ensuring that our medical students at IBB University, Lapai, receive their clinical training right here in Minna, and we are on track to make that happen within the next six months to one year”, he said.
The Commissioner said the government had identified three facilities to provide temporary clinical training and accommodation for the students.
He further stated that the Minna General Hospital was undergoing rehabilitation to serve as a temporary teaching hospital, while a state-of-the-art laboratory medicine facility was being developed at IBB Specialist Hospital.
The University Guest House in Minna, Bagana added, would be used to accommodate the students.
“All these reforms would happen in the next six months, so that the next set of students will be ready to continue their clinical training in Minna. We don’t need FUT Bosso Campus”, he noted.
On disease outbreaks, the Commissioner explained that the situation in Niger remained under control, attributing improved health indicators partly to increased immunization coverage.
He also urged the media to intensify public education on routine immunizations, particularly against measles, cholera, diphtheria and other vaccine-preventable diseases in the state.
“If we are on the same side with the media on the advocacy, we will see less and less of these outbreaks”, he further stated.
