Niger State Sets Deadline for Medical Training Facilities

The Niger State Government has announced a timeline of six months to one year to resolve the clinical training crisis affecting medical students at the Ibrahim Badamasi Babangida University (IBBU), Lapai. This announcement was made by the State Commissioner for Health, Dr Murtala Muhammad Bagana, during a media parley in Minna.

The crisis arose due to delays in constructing the university's permanent teaching hospital, which has been affected by a disagreement with the contractor. The government plans to set up temporary facilities for the next batch of medical students, as the first batch of 41 students was relocated to Zaria for clinical training.

Dr Bagana stated that the construction of the permanent teaching hospital is now expected to take between 18 months and two years, but the government will not wait for its completion to start training. He emphasized that facilities would be ready within the next six months to one year.

Additionally, he noted improvements in health indicators due to increased immunization coverage and called for media support in public education on routine immunization.