The House of Representatives has passed for second reading two bills to establish a Federal Medical Centre and a Federal College of Nursing and Midwifery in the Ifako-Ijaiye Local Government Area of Lagos State.
The proposed institutions aim to improve access to quality healthcare expand professional training opportunities for healthcare workers and strengthen healthcare delivery nationwide.
Hon. Benjamin Adeyemi Olabinjo sponsored both bills and led debates on the proposed legislation.
Leading the debate on the bill to establish a Federal Medical Centre in Ifako-Ijaiye Olabinjo said the proposed facility would address healthcare challenges in the densely populated area where residents often depend on overstretched government-owned hospitals for specialised medical services.
He noted that patients whose conditions exceed the capacity of local health facilities are frequently referred to a limited number of public hospitals resulting in long waiting times and difficulties accessing timely medical attention.
According to him the burden falls particularly on traders artisans civil servants and young families who may have limited alternatives for accessing healthcare.
The lawmaker explained that the bill seeks to amend the Federal Medical Centres Act to provide a statutory framework for establishing governing and administering the proposed facility.
He said the centre would serve as a referral hospital for surrounding primary and secondary healthcare facilities improving access to specialised treatment while reducing pressure on existing public hospitals in Lagos State.
Olabinjo identified improved emergency response access to critical medical services and employment generation as some of the expected benefits of the proposed centre.
He stressed that access to emergency obstetric services trauma care and other critical treatments often depends on proximity to adequately equipped health facilities.
The lawmaker added that the centre would enable more residents to receive treatment closer to their homes while creating employment opportunities for doctors nurses pharmacists laboratory scientists technicians and administrative personnel.
On the proposed Federal College of Nursing and Midwifery Olabinjo said Nigeria needed to expand the training of nurses and midwives to meet the growing demands of its healthcare system particularly amid the increasing migration of trained professionals to foreign countries.
He noted that the departure of healthcare workers to countries such as the United Kingdom Canada and the United States had worsened staffing gaps in Nigerian hospitals with maternal and child healthcare services among those affected.
According to him establishing the college would expand access to professional nursing and midwifery education in Lagos State where population growth has increased demand for qualified healthcare personnel.
He explained that the proposed institution would provide training and conduct research in nursing midwifery and related specialities offering professional certificates diplomas degrees and post-basic qualifications alongside continuing education for practising professionals.
The bill also provides for the establishment of a Governing Council a School of Nursing and a School of Midwifery as well as the appointment of qualified principal officers to oversee the institution’s administration and academic activities.
Olabinjo said the college would be empowered to admit students organise academic programmes conduct examinations and research and provide facilities including libraries laboratories lecture halls and student hostels.
He urged lawmakers to support the legislation arguing that expanding accredited training institutions would increase the number of qualified nurses and midwives entering the healthcare system annually.
The sponsor also highlighted the college’s potential impact on maternal and child health noting that adequately trained midwives remain essential to efforts to reduce maternal and infant mortality.
‘We cannot fix our healthcare system without the people who run it day and night. This Bill invests in them’ he said.
Beyond their healthcare and educational objectives Olabinjo said both institutions would stimulate economic activity in Ifako-Ijaiye through employment opportunities and increased patronage of businesses in the host community.
He added that the proposed college would create educational and career opportunities for young Nigerians particularly those in Lagos State who might otherwise struggle to access professional healthcare training.
The two bills having passed second reading are expected to undergo further legislative scrutiny by the appropriate House committees before proceeding to subsequent stages of consideration.
If enacted the proposed legislation would provide the legal framework to establish and administer the Federal Medical Centre and the Federal College of Nursing and Midwifery in Ifako-Ijaiye Lagos State.