Kwara converts Omu-Aran General Hospital to teaching hospital

By Demola Akinyemi, Ilorin Kwara State Governor, AbdulRahman AbdulRazaq, on Wednesday laid the foundation for the conversion of the General Hospital, Omu-Aran, into the Thomas Adewumi University Teaching Hospital under a public-private partnership arrangement aimed at expanding access to specialised healthcare in Kwara South. The project is expected to strengthen medical education, improve healthcare manpower development and reduce the burden on existing tertiary health facilities in the state.

Speaking at the foundation-laying ceremony, the governor, who was represented by his deputy, Kayode Alabi, described the initiative as a milestone in the development of healthcare infrastructure in Kwara South. “Today marks another milestone as we witness the establishment of the first Teaching Hospital in Kwara South. This remarkable achievement, conceived and actualised through a strategic partnership with the Kwara State Government through the Ministry of Health, will deeply promote medical education, improve human resources in health and contribute significantly to increasing access to quality healthcare delivery for our people,” he said.

AbdulRazaq said establishing a tertiary healthcare facility in the southern part of the state would decentralise specialised medical services and reduce pressure on centrally located hospitals, which residents often find difficult to access. He expressed confidence that the facility would contribute to reducing preventable deaths and improving healthcare outcomes across communities.

The governor said the project reflected his administration’s commitment to partnerships with private stakeholders to accelerate development, adding that upgrading the existing facility would bring medical services closer to residents of Omu-Aran and neighbouring communities. He commended the founder, management, staff and students of Thomas Adewumi University for their commitment to medical education and development, while urging residents of Omu-Aran to support the project.

In his remarks, the Founder and Chancellor of Thomas Adewumi University, Engr. Johnson Bamidele Adewumi, said the former General Hospital, established on February 1, 1973, by the administration of the late General David Bamigboye, offered an opportunity to expand specialised healthcare services in Kwara South. He said the university adopted the teaching hospital project as part of its vision to train medical doctors and other allied health professionals.

Adewumi explained that rather than establish an entirely new facility, the university approached the state government with a proposal to transform the existing hospital through a strategic partnership. He clarified that the arrangement did not involve the sale or transfer of ownership of the hospital. “Under the approved framework, ownership of the hospital remains firmly vested in the Government of Kwara State, while Thomas Adewumi University undertakes the construction and development of necessary academic infrastructure.

For the avoidance of all doubt, the hospital was neither bought nor put on sale,” he said. The chancellor, however, appealed to the state government to provide the necessary financial support for the extensive upgrading of the hospital’s infrastructure and engagement of specialist consultants. He noted that the financial and technical requirements of a tertiary teaching hospital were beyond the capacity of a private individual or the host rural community.

Adewumi said the project was designed to be completed within 18 months, adding that a team led by Professor Kuranga, a former Chief Medical Director of the University of Ilorin Teaching Hospital, and 17 other professors had been involved in developing the initiative. The ceremony was attended by government officials, traditional rulers and academics, including the Olupo of Ajase-Ipo, Oba Ismail Yahya Alebiosu; the Olomu of Omu-Aran, Oba Raheem Adeoti; the Commissioner for Health, Dr Amina Ahmed El-Imam; and a former Vice-Chancellor of the University of Ilorin, Professor Shuaib Oba Abdulraheem.

Also present were the APC senatorial candidate for Kwara South, Prince Lekan Adewoye, and Oloriewe Raheem Adedoyin, among other dignitaries.