Bills seeking repeal of Ministry of Finance Incorporated, amendment of University Teaching Hospitals pass second reading at the Senate

IGNATIUS OKOROCHA, Abuja

Senate has passed for second reading, a bill for an act to amend the University Teaching Hospitals and Reconstitution of Boards Act 2005.

This followed the presentation of general principles of the bill at plenary on Tuesday.

Recall that the bill was sponsored by Sen Abba Moro (PDP-Benue).

Moro in his lead debate said the one and sole purpose of the bill was to amend the University Teaching Hospitals, Reconstitution of Boards to include the Federal University of Health Sciences Otukpo Teaching Hospitals which was already in existence and operational.

He said the Federal University of Health Sciences Otukpo teaching hospital was a premier institution dedicated to training healthcare professionals in Benue state and Nigeria by extension.

According to him, the university’s mission is to produce high skilled and competent clinical practitioners who can serve the healthcare needs of the nation.

He said the National Health Act 2014, section 10, established a framework for teaching hospitals in Nigeria

He said section 10 stipulates that a teaching hospital shall be established by an act of the National Assembly.

“This implies that without an act of the National Assembly, a teaching hospital does not have the legal backing, that is the reason for the bill, “Moro said.

He urged the lawmakers to support the bill for second reading.

Sen.Victor Umeh(LP -Anambra )rising in support of the bill said it was clear that any university that offers medicine should have a teaching hospital because the teaching hospital supports the academics in the medical college.

Umeh said it was in the teaching hospital that the students are groomed through clinical studies.

He said any university that has a medical college without a teaching hospital was still not fit to function as a medical college saying that teaching hospital provides the training to be qualified for medical practice as a medical doctor in Nigeria.

Akpabio after the bill passed second reading , refered it to Committee on Health, Secondary and Tertiary Institution for further legislative inputs and to return back to plenary in four weeks.

He commended sponsor and lawmakers for their contributions, saying that paragraph three of the sponsors’ submission was very germane.

Akpabio said the sole purpose of the bill was to amend the University Teaching Hospitals Act, reconstitution of the boards to include the federal university of Health Sciences Teaching Hospital, Otukpo ,which was already in existence and operational.

According to him, the bill was to ensure legality of the institution.

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