By Our Correspondent
The Senate on Tuesday passed for second reading a bill seeking to establish the Federal University of Applied Sciences Teaching Hospital in Kachia, Kaduna State.
The bill scaled second reading after it was sponsored by Senator Sunday Marshall Katung, who represents Kaduna South Senatorial District.
The proposed legislation seeks to amend the University Teaching Hospitals (Reconstitution of Boards) Act, Cap. U15, Laws of the Federation of Nigeria, 2004, to provide the legal framework for the establishment of the teaching hospital in Kachia, Kaduna South.
Leading the debate, Senator Katung explained that the bill aims to amend the University Teaching Hospitals (Reconstitution of Boards, Etc.) Act No. 10 of 1985 by including the Federal University of Applied Sciences, Kachia Teaching Hospital, to be located in Manchok, in the Third Schedule to the Principal Act. This, he said, would enable the institution to operate within the legal framework governing federal university teaching hospitals.
He described teaching hospitals as indispensable to Nigeria’s healthcare system, noting that they perform three key functions: providing specialist and tertiary healthcare services, training medical, nursing, pharmacy and allied health professionals, and promoting medical research, innovation and continuous professional development.
According to him, the establishment and official recognition of the teaching hospital would strengthen medical education, improve access to quality healthcare in Kaduna State and the North-West geopolitical zone, and support the Federal Government’s efforts to address the shortage of healthcare professionals.
Senator Katung said the proposed institution would improve access to tertiary healthcare services, expand the training capacity for doctors and other health professionals, and enhance medical research and innovation.
He added that the teaching hospital would also create jobs, stimulate economic growth in Kachia and neighbouring communities, and reduce the burden on existing teaching hospitals across the region.
He maintained that the amendment is timely, beneficial, and in line with the country’s commitment to strengthening the health sector and expanding educational opportunities.
