Deputy Governor of Bayelsa, Lawrence Ewhrudjakpo, has explained that the establishment of the Bayelsa Medical University, Yenagoa, would go a long way to bridge the gap in medical education in the state.
Ewhrudjakpo, disclosed this when he received a 15-member National Universities Commission accreditation team led by Victoria Pillah, in Government House, Yenagoa, on Wednesday.
Ewhrudjakpo explained in a statement on Thursday that Bayelsa was lacking medical education and qualified manpower in the health sector, which informed the state government’s decision to set up the BMU to effectively address the situation.
Describing the visit of the NUC accreditation team as auspicious, he emphasized that Bayelsa was in a hurry to catch up with other states in terms of education especially in medicine.
Ewhrudjakpo pointed out that a glaring setback in the Nigerian educational system over the years had been the emphasis on physical structures with less attention to human resources development.
According to him, the present administration places a lot of value on manpower and human resources development through education, to improve the lifestyle of people of the state and its pattern of development.
He urged the visiting NUC team to carry out their assignment with love and encouragement to the state by being objective in their assessment and recommendations to enable the government to do better for the medical institution.
The Deputy Governor, however, expressed hope that the exercise would be successful in view of the government’s investment in the BMU, which he described as one of the best in the country.
He said, “We believe that one area we have a deficiency is medicine, and that is why we have established this medical university. That tells you the emphasis we want to give to medicine in our state.
“The ratio of medical personnel to the population is very skewed in the negative. The only way we can fill up the gap is to make deliberate, concerted efforts to increase the human resources for health.
“Over the years, the Nigerian system and government have continued to emphasize structural development in terms of health care delivery, and neglecting the human resources for health.”
Speaking earlier, the leader of the NUC accreditation team, Victoria Pillah, explained that they were in the state to look at the facilities and the human resources available at the Bayelsa medical institution.
