The federal government, Monday, rejected plans by the Senate to upgrade some medical facilities to tertiary health institutions in Adamawa state.
The Senate had three separate bills sponsored by Senator Aishatu Binani Ahmed (APC Adamawa Central), proposed to give legal backing to the upgrade of the health institutions.
The bills include, the National Dermatology Hospital, Garkida Adamawa, Establishment Bill 2021, Teaching Hospital for the Modibbo Adama University, Yola and Federal Medical Centres Establishment Bill.
Kicking against the proposed legislations, the Minister of State for Health, Dr Olorunnimbe Mamora, in his presentation at the opening of a two-day public hearing on them, said the sponsors of the bills should have sought and obtained presidential approval before coming up with the proposed legislations.
According to him, there are already 22 teaching hospitals in the country aside others that are still coming on stream.
The 1995 Act he added, states in Section 1 (3) empowers only the President to give approval for its establishment.
“It is also pertinent to note that the name federal tertiary hospitals cannot be created without the approval of the president of the Federal Government of Nigeria.
“If the proponents of the bill have the approval of the President, it behoves on them to present the same to the Federal Ministry of Health for further necessary actions.
“Where there is no presidential approval for the establishment of the hospital, the sponsor of the bill will do well to first seek approval with justification.
“After securing approval, other due diligent has to be made through the Federal Government and relevant authorities, the teaching hospitals included in the list of federal teaching hospitals.
“What we are saying is that proposing a bill to amend the teaching hospitals Act to include the name of a non existent hospital is like “putting the cart before the horse.
“Existing Federal Medical Centres automatically become teaching hospitals following presidential approval in states that have federal universities without medical schools. I think this is the most important thing that we need to know.
“We have seen quite a number of times where we are been approached to allow the federal medical centres to stand as teaching hospitals pending the time that such hospital will be established for the state universities. This is the issue here.
“The Ministry’s position on the Federal medical centres establishment bill is that it is the Federal Government policy for the establishment of federal medical centres to make provisions for space where there are no Federal teaching hospitals.
“Presently, there are federal medical centres in the country. Some of these federal medical centres are being converted to teaching hospitals in the state,” he explained.
He further noted that there was no representation from the state ministry of health on the board of the the proposed teaching officers.
“There will be need to capture the statutory committees of the board and their functions such as the finance and general purpose committee”, he stressed.
The Minister also kicked against the establishment of a national hospital for dermatology.
His words: “We observed that most of the federal teaching hospitals and some federal medical centres have that department, called the department of dermatology, it is a specialised department where issues that have to do with the skin can be better managed.
“We believe that as much as it is important to pay attention to the issue of dermatology, we also know that establishing a hospital for dermatology condition will affect patients’ opportunities to be co-managed by other specialities.
“We are saying if we have to establish this hospital, much as it is desirable, we need to consider all that is involved in terms of human resource which is very important.
“We also know that inviting other specialist or engaging them on a visiting basis will not be cost effective and it can delay patient management, it is worth noting that dermatologist work very closely with plastic surgeon in terms of reconstruction and cosmetic surgery.
“The position of the ministry on the bill with all its financial implication is that it will be more appropriate to stamp the existing dermatology units or clinics in the various tertiary hospitals.”
However, the Chairman of the Senate Committee on Health, Ibrahim Oloriegbe (APC Kwara Central), told the Minister that the National Assembly has powers to make laws for the establishment of federal health institutions.
