Nasir Shuaibu, BAUCHI
Vice-Chancellor of the Federal University of Health Sciences, Azare (FUHSA) in Bauchi State has said that the university is working towards becoming a leading international hub of best training practices, innovative research and production of quality service/manpower/products in the healthcare industry of the world.
The Vice Chancellor, Professor Bala Mohammed Audu stated this while speaking during the median matriculation ceremony of 760 pioneer students for the 2021/2022 and 2022/2023 academic seasons at the university in Azare, noted that the institution had received over 10,000 applicants from Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB) in conjunction with the NUC that has given the university initial carrying capacity of 500 students.
According to the VC who said the university was established by President Muhammadu Buhari in June 2021, the principal officers of the university were appointed with effect from 27th January 2022, barely one year ago.
The VC said, "Today, we are matriculating students into five academic programs across seven faculties including medicine, dentistry, nursing, nutrition/dietetics and radiography. We matriculated 550 students for the 2022/2023 academic season and matriculated 210 students for the 2021/2022 academic season, which made a total of 760 students."
He explained that University had received an express written authorization by both the National Universities Commission and the Medical and Dental Council of Nigeria to commence admission and training of medical students with an initial intake of 100 students, "So, today we shall be matriculating 70 medical students of the 2021/22 and 90 MBBS students of the 2022/2023 session," he said.
"In the same vein, we have to matriculate 30 dental students for the 2021/22 and 50 students for the 2022/23 academic seasons following approvals by both the National University Commission and the Medical and Dental Council of Nigeria," he added.
"We are matriculating 70 Basic Nursing (BNS) students into the 2021/22 and 2022/23 academic seasons respectively. This is the single most subscribed course so far. We are the second among the 13 universities in the northeast offering this course."
Audu explained that the university has also matriculated 30 and 70 radiography students for the 2021/22 and 2022/23 academic seasons.
He added that "There are two reasons why the university admitted few students despite over 10,000 applicants were due to teething Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB) in conjunction with the NUC that has given the university initial carrying capacity of 500 students."
Audu further explained that, "All our programs except nutrition, are professional health programs that are further regulated by professional bodies that index the students, they also peg down the number of students that can be admitted based on criteria that are aimed at ensuring that the quality of training is maintained and improved upon. With what we have put in place so far of infrastructure, equipment and staffing, we look forward to getting an increase in the number of students we can admit in the 2023/24 academic season."
"This is critical in the backdrop of the brain drain in the health sector, worsening doctor: patient ratio of 1;6000 (WHO 1:400) and Nurse: bed ratio of 1:400 (WHO 1:40). With the help of regulatory bodies such as MDCN, specialized universities of health sciences such as FUHSA, have the potential to reverse these dismal ratios a comfortably export well-trained health professionals to the rest of the world using economically advantageous policies," the don said.
Audu further disclosed that the institution has matriculated 20 and 150 nutrition students for the 2021/2022 and 2022/23 academic seasons respectively, adding that, "The university is working with National Agricultural Land Development Agency (NALDA) and other partners to ensure we become an international hub through establishing an industrial park in nutritional products that is sustainable and competitive in both local and international markets."
"No university in the northeast is currently accredited for this program. It holds huge entrepreneurial potential and a springboard for nutraceutical and agripreneurahiip. It is a means of sustainability and financial independence for the university, and we hope the graduates will be self-reliant and employers of labour rather than jobseekers," the VC said.
"To achieve our mission, we are focused on our students as our greatest and irreplaceable asset. That is the sole reason we are gathered here today, to testify to this. Our teaching methodology ensures that our students are clear about the contents of each of their training modules, the knowledge they are expected to comprehend and the set of skills they must acquire, all of which must be examined for competency and proficiency," the VC added.
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