Dr. Farouk Umar Abubakar Registrar and Chief Executive Officer of the Nursing and Midwifery Council of Nigeria has called for the establishment of College Medicines in rural communities to tackle health challenges in the country.
Dr Farouk noted that when colleges of medicine are established in rural areas professionals trained in those colleges, will show interest and man primary, secondary, and tertiary health centres across the country.
He stated this at the Blessed Martins International Institute of Science and Technology, Ohatekwe Amagu in Ikwo local area of Ebonyi State during the council inspection visit, and approval of the College of Medicine Science in the Institute.”When you train a young lady who is brought up in the urban area, you don’t expect her to go back to the rural areas but when you bring the training to the communities, they will show interest and man our primary health centers, secondary level, and tertiary level so that when we take enough at the level of our communities, then we inject them to the urban areas as well as the national level and the globe and this is the idea of encouraging and establishing these colleges at the community levels”, he stated.
“We are here to see things physically and see the level of preparedness for the taking off of Blessed Martins College of Medical Science that is well established and from the assessment, we have gone round.
“We have seen adequate provisions of resources. We start from the physical facilities; there are e adequate number of classrooms, some demonstration rooms, number of laboratories being provided in numerous departments.
“The environment is well placed for the taking off of the training of nurses and midwives. In terms of manpower, from the available checklist to us, there are a reasonable number of qualified educated nurses and midwives that will provide the necessary teaching-learning experience in addition to other supporting staff in the areas of sciences both Medical sciences, Physiology, Anatomy, Biochemistry, and other related sciences are all available and this is what is expected.
“Looking at the establishment, there is adequate landscaping and good road networking. We observed various power outreach; solar power is available, NEPA and generator. So, there are three different components of power in other to sustain learning activities”, he disclosed.
The member representing Ikwo/Ezza South Federal Federal Constituency at the National Assembly, Hon Chinedu Ogah who is a visitor to the school while addressing the delegation expressed his willingness to ensure a smooth take-off of the accredited programs at full with strict adherence to the guidelines stipulated by the Council.He said the establishment of the College of Medicine Science would reduce unemployment in society and create access to healthcare services.
“Many people travel abroad to get health services and when you look at those health facilities they run to in those countries, you will discover that it is Nigerians that are manning those hospitals and performing miracles there. So, why can’t we establish these hospitals here in Nigeria to provide health services for the people”,
