*Set to reverse medical tourism in Nigeria
*CMD appeals for increment of budgetary allocation, staff recruitment
By; MKPUMA ENYINNA, Abakaliki
National Assembly (NASS) members on oversight function to David Umahi Federal University of Health Sciences Teaching Hospital (DUFUTH) Uburu, Ebonyi State, has lauded the digital medical facilities in the hospital, saying that it has enough capacity to reverse medical tourism in Nigeria.
The chairman of House of Representatives Committee on Health Institution, Hon. Amos Magaji, disclosed this when he led other members the committee on oversight function at DUFUTH, stating that the hospital has all it takes to compete with other health Institutions both locally and internationally because of the state-of-the-art medical facilities in the hospital.
Hon.Magaji and other committee members further assured the management of the hospital that through their legislative framework,they are going to do everything possible to assist the hospital tackle some of the challenges facing them currently.
Earlier in her address, the Chief Medical Director of DUFUTH, Prof.(Mrs) Uzoma Agwu appreciated the lawmakers from the Green chambers of National Assembly who came for the important legislative oversight duty, saying that DUFUTH as the newest and most proficient Federal Teaching Hospital in South East has further laid credence to the parliament as a symbol of justice and bastion of people’s aspiration through robust legislative and oversight functions that contribute significantly to the socio-economic and political development of this country.
The Chief Medical Director of the hospital, Prof. Uzoma Agwu also used the opportunity to appeal to National Assembly for increment in budgetary allocation of the hospital in order to maintain world-class standard in terms of human and material resources.
She expressed confidence that the engagement with the committee members will produce expected results in the area of increased budgetary allocation and provision of more quality personnel for the smooth running of the hospital, adding that DUFUTH has continued to expand its scope of services to other specialties and has been deeply committed to providing a training ground for undergraduate and post graduate students, ensuring both oversight and education to health professionals in various branches of the health and medical professions through learning and research.
Prof. Agwu, however, drew the attention of the lawmakers to some of the challenges that hamper smooth attainment of the lofty projections to include but not limited to, absence of steady water supply source, epileptic power supply from public energy, minimal budgetary allocation, among others constitute the challenges and therefore, called on national assembly and federal government of Nigeria for their interventions and support in order to maintain the world-class facilities in the hospital.
During the oversight visit, the lawmakers were taken round the medical facilities for inspection.Some of the facilities visited include: CT scan suite, MRI suite, Radiology Department, Cancer Centre, Eye Centre, Chemical pathology call room, Anatomic pathology Research laboratory, Microbiology/parasitology, Immunology, Clinical Microbiology Research laboratory, Well Woman Clinic, library, among others.
