By Asmau Ahmad
The Federal Government of Nigeria has assured its commitment to improving Nigeria’s healthcare system.
Minister of State for Health and Social Welfare, Dr Tunji Alausa stated during a visit to the Nigeria Institute of Medical Research (NIMR) in Lagos.
According to him, President Bola Tinubu is determined to improve and revitalise our healthcare system.
He said the Federal Government would provide a sustainable healthcare that delivered the best care possible to Nigerians.
The minister said he was impressed with the level of work and the available equipment in the research institute.
Alausa said the issue of inadequate funding and shortage of staff would be addressed to further enhance the capacity of the institute.
“The purpose of my visit today is to meet with the staff, hear their challenges, access what is on ground and find how best to support them.
“I am very impressed with the level of equipment on ground and this is enough to bring a post doctorate fellowship here because they have the facilities to support it.
“In two or more years, they can have up to 300 people doing post doctorate fellowship here.
“And it will help to meet our needs and aspirations for further extensive research that will be of benefit to Nigeria.
“Research and support will be a big part of what we will be doing in this administration,” he said.
The Director-General of NIMR, Professor Babatunde Salako expressed optimism that the visit would yield positive result for the institute.
He said that some of the ministers had worked and lived in the United States where research and education were taken seriously.
“They have come with a lot of experience and I believe it will bear on research in the country and they also promise to improve funding on research.
“We need to continue to do more evangelism to decision making in order to allocate more budget to research,” Alausa said.
