The Management of the Federal University, Lokoja (FUL), has appointed Professor Ozovehe Mike Ogirima, mni as the Provost of its newly established College of Health Sciences.
Professor Ogirima, a Professor of Orthopedic and trauma, from Ahmadu Bello University, Zaria and a holder of four fellowships in the discipline, was the Chairman/ Coordinator, Steering Committee, set up by institution for the establishment of its medical programmes.
He was also a former President, Nigerian Medical Association.
Speaking to newsmen in Lokoja, the new provost said that the establishment of the new college was in line with the commitment of FUL to produce medical doctors and other health practitioners to bridge the gap in the number of health personnel required in the country.
Ogirima who is also a member of the National Institute for Policy and Strategic Studies (NIPSS), Kuru, near Jos, said that the university was making conscious efforts to ensure that the National Universities Commission (NUC) approves the medical programmes of the college.
“As soon as NUC approves our programmes, we will start with Bachelor of Medicine and Bachelor of Surgery, the basic degree for medical doctors.
“This is in addition to training and producing Bachelors in Nursing, Dentistry, Rehabilitative medicine and Biomedical engineering as well as medical laboratory scientists.
“As soon as NUC approves, we hope, in no too distance future to start training medical students towards Bachelor of Medicine and Bachelor of Surgery, because that is the tap root of medical practice.
“Our aim is also to bridge the huge gap of the needs in the production of medical doctors in the country.
“It is our ambition that in few years or so, we should be able to commence other programmes apart from the Bachelor of Medicine and Bachelor of Surgery, the basic degree of Medical doctors,” Ogirima, who is also a former president,Nigerian Medical Association (NMA) said.
The provost, who noted that Nigeria required 250,000 medical doctors instead of the current 40,000, added,”if we cross the huddle of being approved by NUC, by God’s grace, we should be able to admit 100 Level students for the MBBS programme for a start.
“We are working assiduously to meet the standard of NUC,” Ogirima said.