The Gombe State Government yesterday approved the reopening of seven out of 17 health training institutions shut down in April this year for lack of required facilities and conditions for training of health workers.
Addressing reporters at the end of the state Executive Council meeting, the State Commissioner for Information Mesack Audu Lauco said the seven reopened private health institutions are to commence operation immediately.
According to him, the government’s decision was subject to the recommendation of the committee set up to look into and embark on the revalidation exercise.
“The report of that committee was submitted and considered by the Executive Council today (yesterday) and in the consideration, the Executive Council decided that seven out of 17 have been given a clean slate to continue with academic activities with immediate effect while 10 shall still remain closed until they satisfy certain conditions of accreditation,” he said.
The Chairman of the Committee, who is also the Attorney-General and Commissioner for Justice for the state, Malam Zubaru Umar said the reason the committee was set up was the dire situation which the Commissioner for Health, Abu Dahiru drew the attention of the Executive Council as to the existence of the private institutions that were just turning out graduates without thorough training.
He said because the government is very much concerned about the health and welfare of its people, it did not take the matter lightly.
Zubaru said the committee visited all the 17 tertiary health institutions and interacted with their proprietors and provosts.
“In the course of doing that, we went through all the files of the teachers, the number of students they have, the courses they were providing and we also set up a sub-committee to verify all the facilities that these institutions have, to ensure that they are up to standard or at least to the minimum requirements of the regulatory body.
“The committee was satisfied with seven of the institutions which were found worthy of the courses they are running,” he said.
The Attorney-General gave the names of the institutions as Fountain College of Science and Development Tumfre, Conformers College of Science and Technology Billiri, Garkua College of Science and Technology Gombe, Lamido School of Hygiene Liji, Umar College of Science and Technology, Duku International College of Science and Technology and Haruna Rasheed College of Health Science Duku.
He said the seven institutions have been found to be working and operating within the purview of the law and according to the certificate given to them by the relevant regulatory body.