In order to enhance quality healthcare services in all the secondary hospitals in the Federal Capital Territory, the FCT Administration is seeking accreditation of additional postgraduate medical fellowship examinations from the West African Postgraduate Medical College as well as National Postgraduate Medical College.
The General Manager, FCT Hospital Services Management Board, Dr. Aminu Mai, dropped the hint while briefing newsmen on the activities of the Board in his office at Area 11, Garki I District, Abuja.
The General Manager revealed that the fellowship examination programme began in Maitama and Asokoro Hospitals since the commencement of the Residency Training in the Territory in 2010 and 2012 in Family Medicine and Obstetrics & Gynecology respectively.
Dr. Mai reiterated that the accreditation and subsequent examinations would ensure sustained manpower development of specialists in different fields of medicine for the FCT hospitals.
According to him, the new additional fields that the FCT Administration is working to get accreditation include Internal Medicine, General Surgery, Pediatrics and Radiology.
Dr. Mai remarked that the programme is also intended to obviate the need for the release of unnecessarily large number of doctors for training in other training centers, which comes with its adverse consequences on service delivery as a result of gaps created by their exit.
The General Manager emphasized that the current FCT Administration under the leadership of Malam Muhammad Musa Bello believes that such action would go a long way in reducing medical tourism, which is negatively impacting on our foreign reserve.
He disclosed that all the four Resident Doctors of FCT Hospitals that enrolled in the Family Medicine training programme and one Resident Doctor from the Obstetrics and Gynecology programme that participated in the April 2016 Part I Fellowship examinations of the West African Postgraduate Medical College were successful.
The General Manager explained that the “home grown” Resident Doctors by their success in the Part I examination are now Senior Registrars in their respective specialties and are on their way to sitting for the final (Part II) examination in another 24 months to qualify as Specialists (Consultants).
According to him, the FCT Administration is already making concerted efforts to secure accreditation in more areas of specialization in the FCT Health Institutions to enable the FCT Resident Doctors participate effectively.
These trainings, Dr. Mai stated, have helped increase to 36, the number of Resident Doctors in FCTA accredited hospitals, whose services are desperately needed to further enhance the quality of healthcare delivery in Abuja.
The General Manager said that the Successful candidates at the recent examinations were Dr. Nweke Choma, Dr. Sotinwa Olasunkanmi, Dr. Oshodi Omokayode Azeez and Dr. Tolorunji, all of Obstetrics and Gynecology, while Dr. Osideko Olufemi qualified in Family Medicine.
His words: “This achievement brings the number of doctors to six who have scaled the Part I fellowship examination in Maitama and Asokoro Hospitals since the commencement of the Residency Training Programme”.
