The Enugu State House of Assembly has passed for second reading a bill for the establishment, Functions and administration of the State University of Medical and Applied Sciences (SUMAS) at Igbo-Eno, Udenu local government area of the state.
Already, there is a College of Medical Sciences in Enugu State University of Science and Technology, ESUT, with a Teaching Hospital at Parkland, Enugu.
Leading a debate on the bill, on Thursday, the leader of the House, Ikechukwu Ezeugwu, said the establishment of SUMAS was a result of the inability of the state government to relocate Parklane Hospital to Igbo-Eno which is in the Nsukka area of the state.
Ezeugwu noted that the government considers relocating the Parklane ESUT Teaching Hospital would be tantamount to creating a problem while trying to solve another one.
The House leader argued that establishing the university would create room for more students to gain admission in medical-related courses and also improve the doctor to patients ratio, which he said is abysmal in Nigeria.
While describing it as a win-win situation, Ezeugwu representing the Udenu constituency hinted that Enugu state needs more medical tertiary institutions that would cater for the health need of the people.
Another member of the House, Chinedu Nwamba, stressed that the establishment of SUMAS would be helpful in making more medical personnel available.
Nwamba representing Nsukka East constituency pointed out that the SUMAS when functional, would accommodate more students doing their Housemanship, create employment opportunities as well as train needed medical manpower for the state.
Hon. Emma Ugwuerua commended the state government for the initiative to establish a specialist medical university, as it go a long way in addressing the problem of unemployability of medical graduates.
According to Ugwuerua, the establishment of the State University of Medical and Applied Sciences (SUMAS) will also address the lopsidedness in the citing of universities in the state.
The member representing Nkanu East constituency, Paul Nnajiofor, suggested the need for the new university to be research-based and technologically driven to enable it to meet up with the modern trans in the area of medicine.
In his remark, the Speaker of the House, Edward Ubosi, reiterated that the establishment of SUMAS would complement the services currently rendered by ESUTH Parklane Hospital.
The Speaker then directed the House committees on Education, Health and Judiciary to look critically into the bill, and report back to the House within next two weeks.
The plenary was later adjourned to Tuesday, 29 March 2022.
