The House of Representatives has given boost to the move to upgrade and convert Wesley Guild Hospital, Ilesa to Federal Medical Centre, Ilesa, Osun State, as a Bill to that effect has scaled second reading.
Sponsors of the Hon. Ayeni Babatunde and Hon. Ajiesoro Taofeek Abimbola in their lead debate on general principles of the Bill, said it aims to equip, maintain and operate the medical center to deliver health care services.
“The Wesley guild hospital which is seating on 8 acre parcel of land has been in existence since 1913 and where serving as referral center to all 5 established outreach primary healthcare centers.
“The hospital grew in infrastructure and in annual out-patient attendance from 10,000 in 1913 to 27,000 in 1927 with 450 operation and 35 deliveries, it had developed from a mud dispensary in the 5 villages of Imesi ile, Esa-oke, Ipetu, Osu and Ijeda with the Wesley Guild Hospital in Ilesa serving as referral center.
“Infrastructure and services of the hospital to a high standard worthy of incorporation into the newly established ife University Teaching Hospital Complex (now Obafemi Awolowo university teaching hospital complex, Ile-Ife started in 1975.
“The Federal Government took over the hospital in 1975 as one of the 4 hospital to be used as the teaching hospital for the newly created medical school of the Faculty of Health Sciences of the then University of Ife (now Obafemi Awolowo University,Ile-Ife)”, the lawmakers said in their joint legislative brief on the Bill.
According to them, the take over into the teaching hospital, the federal government through successive chief medical directors, has invested substantially in the development and expansion of the hospital facilities and services to the present status that makes it capable of standing alone to offer quality tertiary health care services.
