Cletus Shurkuk, Plateau’s Commissioner for Health, says Gov. Caleb Mutfwang has approved the expansion of residency training programmes at the Plateau Specialist Hospital.
Mr Shurkuk, who disclosed this in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN), on Sunday in Jos, noted that prior to Mr Mutfwang’s approval of the expansion, the hospital only ran its residency training programme in family medicine, which was only one component of medicine.
The commissioner said that the approval was for expansion of the residency training programme in Internal medicine, Surgery, Paediatrics and in Obstetrics and Gynaecology (O&G).
He noted that the expansion would increase the numbers of specialist in various fields of medicine.
Shurkuk, said the National Emergency Medical Service and Ambulance System, NEMSAS, had been unbundled in Plateau, and was now known as the Plateau State Emergency Medical Services and Ambulance System PLASEMSAS.
He said training for the personnel, had been conducted.
He also said the programme will address medical emergencies and respond to disasters in the state.
He said toll free numbers would also be given to the public to enable them access the ambulance services.
According to him, services offered within the first 48 hours by the hospital the ambulance takes the patient to, will be free of charge, as it the treatment has been paid for by the Federal Government.
He further said that the state government had earlier donated 6.545 hectares of land at Mararaban Jama’a, Jos, to serve as the Permanent site for the newly established National Orthopedic Hospital, while the Legacy Project Hospital in Wase, would now serve as the permanent site for the Federal Medical Centre.
He revealed that the Memorandum of Understanding between the Federal Ministry of Health and Plateau government on the Orthopaedic Hospital Jos, and the Federal Medical Centre, Wase, would soon be signed.
NAN
