The bill seeking to upgrade and convert the Wesley Guild Hospital, Ilesha, Osun State to Federal Medical Centre (FMC) has passed through Third Reading on the floor of the House of Representatives.
The proposed legislation was sponsored by the Deputy Chairman of the House Committee on Police Affairs, Hon. Lawrence Babatunde Ayeni (APC-Osun).
The Bill is to be transmitted to Senate for concurrence.
The bill sought to amend the Federal Medical Centres (Principal Act), 2022.
The proponent of the bill, Hon. Ayeni during the Second Reading debate on the bill, disclosed that Wesley Guild Hospital, Ilesha is located on an 8-acre parcel of land since 1913.
According to him, the Hospital is serving as a referral centre to all the five established Outreach Primary Healthcare Centres in the Osun State.
He added that the Hospital grew in infrastructure and in annual Out-Patient attendance from 10,000 in 1913 to 27,000 in 1927 and performed 450 operations and 35 deliveries.
Hon. Ayeni further explained that the 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.
He observed that Federal Government took over the Hospital in 1975 as one of the 4 Hospitals 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).
“Since 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, training and research.”
Before the inception of Obafemi Awolowo University Teaching Hospital Complex ile-ife (OAUTHC), Wesley guild hospital had been for many years, an outside posting hospital for training by university college hospital (UCH), Ibadan.
Recall that the Speaker, Hon. Femi Gbajabiamila who presented the keynote address during the public hearing held on the 27th of July 2022 had expressed optimism that the legislation would strengthen the country’s healthcare system.
In line with legislative practice and convention, the bill is expected to be transmitted to the Senate for concurrence.
Dominica Nwabufo
