OOUTH board chairman calls for upgrade of National Postgraduate Medical College, warns against political assaults on health sector

Waheed Ogunjobi

The Chairman, Board of Management, Olabisi Onabanjo University Teaching Hospital and Chief Medical Director, Eye Foundation Hospital Group, Otunba Adekunle Hassan, has called for the upgrade of the National Postgraduate Medical College of Nigeria to meet international standards.

Otunba Hassan made the call on Thursday while delivering the Chairman’s address at the 27th Annual Faculty Lecture of the College entitled: "Ophthalmology Residency Training in Nigeria: NPMCN and Residents' Perspectives" delivered by the Immediate Past Faculty Chairman, Dr. Haroon Ajibode.

Otunba Hassan said the upgrade would enable the College to attract international funding and partnerships, and position it to assume a status similar to that of the Royal College of Physicians in the United Kingdom.

The CMD also raised concerns over what he described as a "premeditated assault" on the medical profession by politicians, and urged stakeholders to protect the integrity of the profession.

Addressing young Ophthalmologists, Otunba Hassan challenged them to change their mindset."Stop blaming past leaders, challenge the status quo and save yourselves from the 'Japa syndrome'. Face the challenges and fight from your place and right," he said.

Speaking at the event, the President of the National Postgraduate Medical College of Nigeria, Prof. Anthony Ikefuna, represented by the Registrar of the College, Prof. Temitope Esan, said the Faculty has continued to upgrade the standard of Ophthalmology training in the country. 

He called on all Fellows and Residents of the College to continue to support the programmes of the College to enable it to remain the foremost institution in Ophthalmology training in the country.

Delivering a welcome address, the Chairman of the Faculty of Ophthalmology of Nigeria, Dr. Charles Bekibele, noted that the training needs of the Faculty are huge and called for concerted efforts to upgrade the training of Ophthalmologists.

He added that the College is geared towards ensuring competency-based learning and maintaining the quality of Ophthalmology training in line with global standards.

In the lecture, Dr. Haroon Ajibode observed that a survey of Ophthalmology residents in Nigeria found that fewer doctors opted to do residency training in Nigeria, as 90% of medical graduates in the country are in a rush to move abroad.

He said there was the need to design a strategy to increase surgical skill acquisition at training centres for postgraduate Ophthalmologists in the country. 

Speaking on the "Japa syndrome", Dr. Ajibode said poor remuneration, bad governance and insecurity were largely responsible for the trend. 

He called on government to do everything possible to reverse it, lamenting that after Nigeria trains medical students at both undergraduate and postgraduate levels, the country ends up losing them to foreign countries.