By Magit Yufusu Haruna and Bitrus Matik Matabof
The University of Jos Directorate of Health Services has launched a youth-friendly clinic centre annex at EcoBank, Naraguta Hostel to facilitate better health care delivery in the University community.
The Vice Chancellor, University of Jos, Professor Tanko Ishaya who featured as a special guest of honor at the launch of the clinic admonished students and members of the University Community to always check their Health status for optimal performance in their routine activities.
He described health as a complete state of physical, mental and social well-being and that lecturers, Students and other workforce particularly drivers cannot perform optimally if their State of health is in doubt.
Professor Ishaya, while commending the brilliant initiative of the Medical Director, Dr Benedict Mairiga and his team for the expansion of the Health Services closer to the University community also called on the beneficiaries to avail themselves the opportunity brought to their door step to access available health care services. He used the occasion to announce the approval of the engagement of medical Doctors and Nurses on local arrangement to begin work at the new site immediately and pointed out that the management is always ready to welcome such related ideas from other sub sectors for the progress and development of the Institution.
Similarly, Hon. Justice Sharon Tanko Ishaya, the chairperson and wife of the Vice Chancellor, emphasized that no meaningful development thrives in a society that lacks basic health services, hence she showered accolades on the Medical Director and his team as well as the management of the Institution for coming to the reality of expanding the frontiers of the Health Services and organizing the free medical outreach. She pledged her continued support to any health-related initiative.
She said “the new Health Centre will go a long way in addressing the challenges faced by students and University Community who until now had to travel far to receive medical treatment at the main facility”.
She concluded by urging the students and University community to take advantage of the succor that have come their way.
Sequel to this development, the Medical Director, University of Jos Health Services, Dr Benedict Mairiga, revealed that he undertook a tour to some Universities such as ABU Zaria, Bayero University Kano and Obafemi Awolowo University Ile-Ife where he discovered that some of them had four to five annexes, hence the decision to come up with a blueprint of four annexes.
Dr Mairiga applauded the 9th Vice Chancellor, Professor Seddi Sabastine Maimako for renovating the facility and the 10th Vice Chancellor, Professor Tanko Ishaya for the completion and subsequent approval for its take off, revealing that the other three locations will soon be history. He added that all categories of Health experts have been redeployed from the main Facility to take care of the Health needs of the students and staff of the area.
Mrs Christy Patrick who represented Mr Emmanuel Ukadyo, the Managing Director of Integrated Health Care Limited, expressed her overwhelming joy for the transformative collaboration between her Organization and the University of Jos Health Services which has yielded positive results on the Students.
Mrs Patrick furthered assured of her organization’s readiness to key into the expansion of the Health services to serve, educate, prevent and empower the students through timely interventions, while also expressing gratitude for partnership over the years, she prayed for a greater medical outreach for the betterment of the future generation.
