President Bola Tinubu has called on Nigerians to support the Federal Government’s ongoing efforts to build a robust and efficient healthcare system across the country.
Speaking during the official transfer of the Akure complex of the University of Medical Sciences Teaching Hospital (UNIMEDTH) to the Federal University of Technology Akure Teaching Hospital (FUTATH), the President said his administration is expanding the footprint of Nigeria’s health sector in collaboration with state governments.
Represented by the Coordinating Minister of Health and Social Welfare, Prof. Ali Pate, President Tinubu said the new federal teaching hospital would enhance healthcare delivery, promote medical research, and strengthen training opportunities for health professionals in Ondo State and beyond.
He said, ‘I want to thank the governor and his team for the amazing collaboration and facilitation to get us to the point we are today. His Excellency, President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, is committed to changing the health and social landscape of this country and is doing that with focus, boldness, and determination.
‘To the health workers who will now be working under the Federal Government, I assure you that we will cherish you, we’ll build you, and you will commit yourselves to the service of our people and humanity.’
Pate commended the national leader of Afenifere, Pa Reuben Fasoranti, and the Deji of Akure, Oba Ogunlade Aladetoyinbo, among others, for their contributions to the realisation of the project.
Performing the official handover and unveiling in Akure, Governor Lucky Aiyedatiwa, represented by his deputy, Olayide Adelami, said his administration took the bold step to further deepen medical education and research in the country.
He said, ‘The decision to hand over this hospital is rooted in a clear and strategic vision to elevate the standard of healthcare for every citizen of Ondo State and the country as a whole.
‘By handing over this asset to the Federal Government of Nigeria, we are effectively unlocking access to superior funding, advanced equipment procurement, specialised personnel recruitment, and inclusion in national and international research networks.
‘We are confident that the brilliant minds we train here will benefit from enhanced research opportunities and collaboration with federal universities.
‘I see a future where this institution, now under the Federal Government, will become a globally recognised centre of medical excellence, saving countless lives and defining a new era of healthcare in Nigeria.’
Also speaking, the Chief Medical Director of FUTATH, Prof. Olusegun Ojo, said the new facility ‘will focus on advanced diagnostics and sub-specialist care, reducing the burden of travel and related expenses for patients and their families.
‘It will also reduce morbidity and mortality associated with delayed access to specialist healthcare and medical tourism.’
The Akure complex, one of the three teaching hospital facilities previously managed by UNIMEDTH, has now been ceded to FUTATH, leaving UNIMED with two remaining complexes located at the Medical Village on Laje Road and Hospital Road in Ondo City.