Rivers State governor, Nyesom Ezenwo Wike has declared the Rivers State University Teaching Hospital as the best of such medical facility in Nigeria.
Governor Wike made the declaration given the huge investment his administration has made that is strengthening the capacity of the specialist hospital in the training of medical personnel, research and medical innovations.
The governor spoke at the inauguration of the twin buildings housing the Faculty of Basic Clinical Sciences and the Faculty of Clinical Sciences, performed by the Chairman of Medical and Dental Council of Nigeria, Prof. Abba Hassan in Port Harcourt on Tuesday.
“Go to the University Teaching Hospital, you have the best of equipment you can talk about. I don’t see any teaching hospital in this country today that can compare with what we have at Rivers State University Teaching Hospital.”
Governor Wike noted the several other separate health service providing facilities that are integrated into the teaching hospital for holistic service delivery.
The governor enthused that even the medical personnel and students alike do have the best of medical equipment that will expose them to contemporary medical practice.
Governor Wike informed that soon, the Renal Centre and the Hostel for medical house officers that have been completed will soon be inaugurated.
With such huge investment made, Governor Wike charged the teachers and students to take their work and studies seriously so that there will be sustained excellence in the health sector.
“We are commissioning the Renal Centre and the house officers hostel which have been completed and furnished soon.
“But it beats my imagination that a teaching hospital has no Renal Centre. Go and see the Mother and Child Hospital; the gynecology and paediatric sections. Those of you who will be using the teaching hospital for your learning, you are getting the best equipment for your practical. What you see overseas is what you are seeing here.
“So, you must count yourselves to be lucky that you came at a time you won’t say we don’t have laboratory. You have everything now. So, there will be no excuse from you. All you need to do is to concentrate.”
Governor Wike also reassured that he will not leave office without completing projects his administration has awarded. But should any be left without being inaugurated, he was confident that his successor will, in the spirit of continuity, completed them for inauguration.
“I will not leave any project unfinished. I will make sure all the projects we have started are finished. If they are not finished, maybe at 90 or 95% completion, when my successor, Siminalaye Fubara and Prof. Ngozi Ordu, come, they should use them for their first one hundred days in office projects and commission them.
“This is because, they are part of what we are doing. When I say my successor, you know they will win. You know they will win because our report card is there to show what we have done. We are in the period of operation show your report card.”
Speaking further, governor Wike directed the Commissioner for Special Projects to visit the site for building of hostels for medical students of the Rivers State University and assess what is required to complete the project in the next two months.
Governor Wike also insisted that the Pathology Department of the university should be ready for inauguration in January 2023.
Performing the inauguration of the project, Chairman of Medical and Dental Council of Nigeria (MDCN), Prof. Abba Hassan noted the audacity of governor Wike to sustain regular training of over 300 medical and other auxiliary staff.
These, he said, are also paid regularly higher than any government, including the federal government.
“Governor Wike has invested satisfactorily in this entire tripod starting with the development of manpower in the health sector, giving a foundation to sustain the investment in the infrastructure and equipment procurement.
“It will also provide opportunity for research and invention. I learned that over 300 medical and staff had been trained and are being paid regularly higher than any government, including the federal government. This will certainly help to forestall the cancerous brain drain in this sector.”
Prof. Hassan expressed his excitement to be part of the event when he said, “I’m privileged to be invited on this occasion to commission one of the projects in health sector among several projects that had been commissioned so far.
“For us in the Medical and Dental Council of Nigeria as regulator in training and practice of medicine and dentistry, wish to note with satisfaction the developmental so far done in this sector by your government.
“Healthcare training and services are anchored on a tripod of consisting of personnel, infrastructure and equipment procurement.”
On his part, the Pro-Chancellor and Chairman, Governing council of the university, Justice Iche Ndu (rtd) recalled how on the 29th of November 2019, representatives of the National University Commission (NUC) were on resource verification at RSU College of Medical Sciences.
During the visit, they insisted, he said, that before the University would be accredited by the Medical And Dental Council of Nigeria to proceed to the clinicals, commitments should be shown in building such faculty building.
He thanked governor Wike for his support that have actualised the requirement needed for full accreditation.
In his speech, Vice Chancellor of Rivers State University, Prof. Nlerum Okogbule said the university is appreciative of the sagacity and commitment shown by governor Wike towards the improvement of medical study and services in the institution.
In his address, Commissioner for Education, Prof Chinedu Mmom said it took the audacity of governor Wike to break the jinx by establishing the College of Medical Sciences at the Rivers State University.
Kelvin Ebiri
Special Assistant (Media) to the Governor of Rivers State
November 15, 2022
