Senate okays Federal Medical Centres bill

The Senate has passed a bill for an Act to provide the legal framework to establish Federal Medical Centres in the country, as well as equip and maintain them to provide facilities for diagnosis, rehabilitation and treatment in medicine.

The upper chamber also approved the establishment of the National Dermatology Hospital, Garkida, Adamawa, State.

The passage of both bills followed the consideration of two separate reports by the Committee on Health (Secondary and Tertiary).

Chairman of the Committee, Senator Yahaya Oloriegbe (APC, Kwara Central), in his presentation, said the Federal Medical Centres (Establishment) Bill, 2021, seeks to, among others, “provide an enabling law to regulate the development and management of the Federal Medical Centres with the aim of setting standards for rendering intensive, effective and efficient healthcare services to the generality of Nigerians.”

He added that apart from providing equipment and facilities for diagnosis and medical treatment, the Federal Medical Centres will serve as training schools and institutions for advanced healthcare services.

“It will provide laboratories, research and experimental stations necessary for efficient national health service delivery”, the lawmaker said.

On the bill seeking to establish the National Dermatological Hospital, Garkida, Oloriegbe noted that with its passage and eventual assent into law, the hospital would provide diagnosis, cure, rehabilitation, cosmetic and treatment of all skin, hair and other ailments requiring dermatology care.