By Kemi Olatunde

Seven health institutions in Ondo State have been merged to kick start the Ondo State University of Medical Sciences Teaching Hospital.

This development also formed a pre-requisite for the accreditation of the University of Medical Sciences.

The Permanent Secretary of the Hospitals’ Management Board, Dr Niran Ikuomola who disclosed this, said that the seven facilities are Trauma and Surgical Center, Kidney Care Center, Mother and Child Hospital, State Specialist hospital Ondo, State Specialist Hospital Akure, Millenium Eye Center and Dental headquarters in Akure.

During the administrative handover of the health institutions, Ikuomola pledged the unalloyed support and assistance of the Hospital Management Board to the Teaching Hospital.

Dr Ikuomola allayed the fear of the staff of those health facilities and promised that their promotion will come as and when due.

The Acting Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Health, Dr Dipo Durojaye who described the event as a milestone in the history of healthcare delivery in the state, stressed the need to fasttrack a law to make the handing over of those facilities lawful as well as the need to put in place befitting structures for a teaching hospital.

Supervising the administrative hand over, the Commissioner for Health, Dr Wahab Adegbenro said what was done is a change of administration from the Hospital’s Management Board and the new Teaching Hospital.

He explained that the establishment of the Teaching Hospital is a plus to the state as the facilities have now become tertiary health institutions that can handle complex health issues.

Dr Adegbenro disclosed that the Governor is keenly interested in the establishment of the Teaching Hospital despite paucity of funds in the state and will do a formal handing over at a later date.

Receiving the seven facilities, the Former CMD Trauma & Surgical Centre and new Chief Medical Director of the Teaching Hospital, Dr Oluwole Ige explained that the Governor, Arakunrin Oluwarotimi Akeredolu pronounced the establishment of the Teaching Hospital in December 2017 and appointed him Acting CMD in March 2018 as part of his effort to establish the teaching hospital.

Dr. Ige added that the first set of intakes of UNIMED are in 400 level and are due for clinical, so as a necessity, the state had to put in place a Teaching Hospital for training of the students and for research purposes.