In a move to strengthen clinical training and medical education nationwide, the Nigerian Senate has cleared the second reading of a bill to amend the University Teaching Hospitals (Reconstitution of Boards) Act 2005.
The bill, sponsored by Senator Abba Moro (PDP–Benue), successfully passed the second reading after he presented its general principles during plenary.
In his lead debate, Moro explained that the amendment seeks to include the Federal University of Health Sciences (FUHS) Otukpo Teaching Hospital, which is already established and operational under the legal framework governing teaching hospitals in Nigeria.
He described FUHS Otukpo as a premier institution dedicated to training healthcare professionals in Benue State and across the country, noting that the university is mandated to produce highly skilled clinical practitioners to meet national healthcare needs.
Moro referenced Section 10 of the National Health Act 2014, which provides the legal framework for establishing teaching hospitals, emphasizing that such institutions must be backed by an Act of the National Assembly. “This implies that without an Act of the National Assembly, a teaching hospital does not have legal backing. That is the reason for this amendment bill,” he said.
Supporting the bill, Senator Victor Umeh (LP–Anambra) stressed that any university offering medicine must have a teaching hospital, as it is essential for clinical training. He added that medical students cannot be fully trained without hands-on experience from a functional teaching hospital, and a medical college without one is incomplete.
After clearing the second reading, Senate President Godswill Akpabio forwarded the bill to the Senate Committee on Health (Secondary and Tertiary Institutions) for further review, directing the committee to report back within four weeks.
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