Federal Medical Centre, Lokoja becomes a Federal University Teaching Hospital.

The Federal Medical Centre Lokoja (FMC) has been upgraded to Federal Teaching Hospital and has paved way for the award of Bachelor of Medecine and Bachelor of Surgery (MBBS) to medical students in Federal University Lokoja (FUL).

This was revealed by the Vice Chancellor of the University Prof Olayemi Akinwumi at the joint press conference with FMC on 14th March, in Lokoja , Kogi State capital.

According to the Vice Chancellor the upgrade came after the approval of the Federal government as contained in a letter with reference number SGF6/TO/380.

It became necessary due to the increasing gap between the doctors and patients across the nation and the state. The Federal University upon the appointment of VC Akinwumi began moves to establish the College of Health Sciences within the university for the benefit of Kogi State indigenes and others who are interested in studying medicine. The difficulty faced by Kogi students getting admission in other universities within the catchment areas to study medicine was disturbing based on reports.

Prof Akinwumi declared ” Research conducted in recent time shows that in the next 10 years, Kogi State Medical Centres and Hospitals will experience great inertia of Medical Doctors of Kogi State origin. About 98% of students of Kogi State origin that applied for Medicine and Surgery with outstanding performance in JAMB and Post UTME in universities within the catchment areas of Kogi State are vehemently denied admissions to read Medicine and Surgery in those universities”.

He explained further that the Senate of the university upon establishing the College of Health Sciences had appointed a professor of orthopedic and Trauma surgery Prof Mike Ogirima as the Provost. Since then the university has admitted its first set of students for 2020/2021 academic section and will soon release admission list for 2022 academic session.

While addressing journalists, the Chief Medical Director of Federal Teaching Hospital Lokoja Dr Olatunde Alabi declared that the hospital is well equipped with trained personnel, specialists in eight(8) different field of medicine since 2012 and ready for the new challenge. ‘’we had eighty (80) at the FMC Lokoja and I felt we were underutilized….. We started producing consultants as if we were preparing for this day”.

In recent times, the FMC has been functioning more as a teaching hospital and it is known to deliver quality health services in Kogi State.