The Commissioner for Health, Dr. Josephat Akabuike, disclosed this when he received a five-member Accreditation team from the Nursing and Midwifery Council of Nigeria who called on him recently in his office at the Jerome Udoji secretariat Complex in Awka.
The accreditation team covering State University Teaching Hospital, Awka and the Nnamdi Azikiwe University Teaching Hospital, Nnewi, were in the state on an inspection visit for the re-accreditation of the School of Nursing and Midwifery Nkpor, which has been taken over by the State University Teaching Hospital.
Addressing the team, Dr. Akabuike, said one of the cardinal vision of the Obiano administration since it came on board was to secure the full accreditation of all state-owned Health Institutions to effectively serve the health needs of the people and provide a veritable platform for individuals who may wish to pursue academic career, in health to achieve their dreams.
He explained that the establishment of the new School of Nursing at Umueri General Hospital has become necessary with the handover of the Nkpor Health facility to the State University Teaching Hospital as well as due to the need to extend health services to the people of state in the hinterland.
While noting that Governor Willie Obiano, had approved enough fund for the provision of all the necessary facilities required to bring the school of Nursing of the State University Teaching Hospital to standard the Health Commissioner assured that the present administration will continue to give priority attention to issues of Health as a critical enabler of its four-point development agenda.
Earlier in his remarks, the Chief Medical Director of the State University Teaching Hospital, Amaku-Awka, Dr. Lawrence Ikeako, explained that the team had come to inspect and assess facilities at the School of Nursing so as to ascertain whether it has attained the required status for re-accreditation.
It will be recalled that the School of Nursing and Midwifery, had in 2012 lost its accreditation due to its inability to meet the minimum operational standard requirements set by the Nursing and Midwifery Council of Nigeria, the supervisory Council for all Schools of Nursing and Midwifery in the Country.
