Annually, N’east produces 230 doctors against 1,200 in S’west – UMTH CMD

The Chief Medical Director, University of Maiduguri Teaching Hospital, Prof Ahmed Ahidjo, has said that building Borno State University Teaching is a necessity due to health workforce shortage in the state and the North East region.

The CMD, who spoke in a different capacity as the newly inaugurated Board chairman of Sir Kashim Ibrahim University Teaching, noted significant disparity in annual doctors production in the North East and South West regions.

According to Ahidjo, those who think that the state may not need the teaching hospital were relying on the presence of specialist hospital.

“South West produced 1,200 doctors annually while here in the North East, we produce not more than 250 doctors annually. So we cannot compete,” he said.

“I believe that his Excellency has taken the right decision in establishing this teaching hospital. We really need it, it’s a necessity.

“If we look at the case study of South Western Nigeria, every state has a state teaching hospital and they produce more than 100 doctors annually in their state teaching hospitals.

“In the three main federal university teaching hospitals, they produce over 600 doctors annually. South West produces 1200 doctors while here in the North East, we produce not more than 250 doctors, so we cannot compete.

“I believe your Excellency, the decision you have taken to actualize the state teaching hospital will impact economically and healthcare wise to change the lives of millions of people in this state

“In this state, we will prioritize the admission to ensure that we reflect our own societies so that we breed our own people to represent us anywhere they go

“You have done so much sir, we have to thank you because building a university hospital is not a small project. I believe by now, it will be very clear as one of the most expensive projects embarked upon by the state government. So much resources have gone into that and it’s there to stand time, a legacy project. Thank you for prioritizing the project.

“The budget that is allocated to the health care of above 15 percent is highly commendable. Because, Health care is the backbone of economic and educational development in the state,” he said