ABSU Medical School Loses Accreditation, NMA Blames State Government

 

The Abia State University Teaching Hospital, Aba (ABSUTH) has had its accreditation withdrawn.

 

The accreditation was withdrawn by the Nigerian Universities Commission (NUC) following some inadequacies the universities regulatory body unearthed. The Teaching hospital is the training environment for the Clinical Medical Students and forms part of the teaching facilities.

 

With the new development, the School will no longer admit new students to study Medicine and Surgery. 

 

Lamenting over this, Chairman of Nigeria Medical Association (NMA), Abia State chapter, Dr. Chimezie Okwuonu said it was disturbing that ABSUTH has lost its accreditation.

 

He noted that ABSUTH has been plagued by interrupted operations due to agitations and industrial actions by the workers over irregular payment of salaries. Okwuonu further revealed that as at the end of April 2022, the staff of ABSUTH were owed 25 months salary arrears.

 

Revealing that labour union leaders have made several failed attempts to resolve the crisis in ABSUTH, he added that it was painful that after members of the NMA including Dr Anagha Ezikpe, Prof JC Ogbonna, Dr Elekwachi Nwogbo, all of blessed memory, among others, laboured to set up the Teaching hospital and secured it’s accreditation during the military era, all have gone under.

 

The statement read; 

 

 

Okwuonu also revealed that several agencies of the government had been visited and discussed this issue, with promises made in all these instances but not actualized.

 

He added; 

 

 

NMA proposed seven steps that must be taken “to get the Teaching hospital fully functional to avoid losing the accreditation of Medical and Dental Council of Nigeria (MDCN) which usually follows”, warning that “If we lose it, clinical training will stop and the students will be trapped in between.”

 

The statement added;