FG working to redesign medical schools, says Fashola

Babatunde Fashola, minister of works and housing, says the federal government is focused on redesigning medical schools to improve the public health sector.

Fashola said this at the seventh Felix Oladejo Dosekun memorial lecture, organised by the College of Medicine, University of Lagos (CMUL), on Thursday.

The late Dosekun was the first vice-dean, first deputy provost, and first emeritus professor of the university.

Speaking on the theme, “Medical Education in Nigeria; The Challenges of Infrastructural Decay”, the minister said the government will work towards redesigning facilities that will aid the study of epidemiology, as part of efforts to help the country tackle infectious diseases.

“We need to ask ourselves how we can replace and expand the decayed health infrastructure in the medical schools. No matter the quality of infrastructure, if people do not use it properly, it will not last,” NAN quoted him as saying.

“Our focus is to redesign medical schools that will improve our public health and preventive health, especially epidemiology area, because of the outbreak of infectious disease or viruses.

“We should have a different approach about how to prevent or slow down the decay or depreciation of health infrastructures.”

While adding that the ministry is rehabilitating some roads and federal secretariats, Fashola also noted that it is normal for all infrastructure to wear out over time.

“The federal ministry of works has been intervening in the road network leading to tertiary institutions in Nigeria. Also, we are rehabilitating some federal secretariats at the zones, ministries, departments, and agencies,” he said.

“We should know that infrastructure wears out thoroughly over time; it is a reality we must deal with, and, therefore, it is not a challenge but the essence of our existence.’’

He, however, urged the alumni of the college to contribute to the maintenance of medical school infrastructure.