The Senate yesterday passed four Bills to establish Federal Medical Centres in four states of the federation.

The medical centres will be located in Osogbo (Osun State), Onitsha (Anambra), Gada (Sokoto) and Ijebu-Ode (Ogun).

The passage of the Bills to establish the Medical Centres followed the consideration of four separate reports by the Committee on Health (Secondary and Tertiary).

Committee Chairman Yahaya Oloriegbe (APC, Kwara Central) said the centres would be equipped with facilities for diagnostic treatment and rehabilitation at the tertiary levels.

The Kwara Central senator said they would also serve as centres for training of health professionals and conduct advanced health researches.

Also, the Senate, yesterday, passed a Bill to amend the Teaching Hospitals (Reconstitution of Boards, etc) Act, 2004.

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Oloriegbe, in a separate presentation on a report by the Committee on Health (Secondary and Tertiary), explained that the amendment to the Teaching Hospitals Act seeks to give full legislative recognition to the Federal University Lokoja Teaching Hospital.

“Mr. President and distinguished colleagues, every institution needs to be backed by an enabling law.

“It is against this background that this Bill is before the (Upper) Chamber.

“As at today, training facilities in the Health sector are inadequate for the current population and projected population growth for Nigeria, currently at three per cent per annum.

“Therefore, establishing the Federal University Lokoja Teaching Hospital will address this gap, among others,” Oloriegbe said.

The committee chairman also said the Bill seeks to amend the First Schedule to the Principal Act to include the Federal University Lokoja Teaching Hospital.

“By this amendment, it creates a legal backing for the Federal University Lokoja Teaching Hospital,” he said.

The four Bills to establish the Federal Medical Centres and the Bill to amend the Teaching Hospitals Act, 2004, were passed by the Upper Chamber during plenary, after a clause-by-clause consideration by the Committee of the Whole.