Edo NMA Pushes Doctors’ Welfare as AAUE VC Signals Medical School Reaccreditation

Kingsley Ohens reporting

The Nigerian Medical Association (NMA), Edo State Branch, has intensified its engagement with Ambrose Alli University, Ekpoma (AAUE), as the Association seeks improved welfare for medical doctors and renewed accreditation of the University’s College of Medicine, with the Vice Chancellor, Professor Mrs Eunice Omonzejie, expressing confidence that the institution will soon be ready for a fresh assessment by the Medical and Dental Council of Nigeria (MDCN).

The assurances came when the Edo NMA Chairman, Dr Andrew Oseghale Eigbedion, led a delegation of the Association on a courtesy visit to the Vice Chancellor in Ekpoma, where discussions centred on the welfare of doctors, the status of the medical school, staff career progression and broader developments at the University.

Dr Eigbedion used the engagement to advocate improved remuneration for honorary medical lecturers, payment of outstanding salary arrears owed to doctors and the accelerated conversion of qualified honorary lecturers who have applied for full-time appointments.

He argued that better remuneration and clearer career progression would boost morale, strengthen staff retention and encourage greater commitment to medical education, particularly within the College of Medicine.

The Edo NMA Chairman also appealed to the University Management to ensure that medical doctors working in the College of Medicine and University Health Centre were appropriately captured as dues-paying members of the Association, stressing that stronger professional representation would enhance communication, welfare advocacy and collaboration between the doctors and the institution.

Dr Eigbedion, who congratulated Professor Omonzejie on completing her first year in office, expressed appreciation for the Vice Chancellor’s willingness to receive the delegation despite her tight official schedule, describing the engagement as an opportunity to deepen constructive collaboration between the NMA and the University.

Responding, Professor Omonzejie highlighted the administration’s ongoing efforts to restore accreditation to the College of Medicine, particularly the Department of Medicine and Surgery, following the prolonged suspension of admissions.

She disclosed that significant infrastructural work was ongoing, especially within the Faculty of Clinical Sciences, as part of measures to address requirements for reaccreditation.

According to the Vice Chancellor, the University is working towards inviting the MDCN for a fresh reaccreditation exercise, expressing optimism that the process would pave the way for the resumption of admissions into Medicine and Surgery after a hiatus of about four to five years.

The development, if achieved, would mark a major turning point for AAUE’s medical education programme, prospective medical students and the wider healthcare system in Edo State.

Beyond the medical school, Professor Omonzejie briefed the Edo NMA delegation on some of the University’s major development initiatives, including a 7,500 kVA solar farm sponsored by the Tertiary Education Trust Fund (TETFund).

She said the arrival of the equipment marked an important step towards the installation and commissioning of the project, which is expected to strengthen electricity supply across the University and support teaching, research, clinical training, laboratory work and other critical academic activities.

The Vice Chancellor also introduced the AAUE Legacy Investment Project, an initiative operating under a Build, Operate and Transfer (BOT) framework, which provides investment opportunities for private investors, alumni and institutional partners.

She encouraged interested members of the Edo NMA to explore the opportunities available under the project.

Professor Omonzejie further commended the quality of doctors produced by AAUE over the years, noting their contributions to healthcare delivery and service to humanity. She urged the Edo NMA leadership to continue encouraging doctors who combine clinical practice with teaching, research and academic service.

The delegation included the State Secretary, Dr William Akerele; State Treasurer, Dr Henrietta Ugbeni; Professor Razak Momoh, member of the AAUE Governing Council, former Dean of the Faculty of Basic Clinical Sciences and Head of the Department of Medical Microbiology; Professor Osede Iribhogbe, former Sub-Dean of the Faculty of Clinical Sciences and Director of the University’s General Studies Division; Dr Blessing Tagar, Treasurer, Edo Central NMA; Dr Cyril Erameh, former Director of the Institute of Lassa Fever Research and Control and Lecturer in the Department of Internal Medicine, AAUE; Dr Osahogie Edeawe, Lecturer in the Department of Pharmacology, AAUE, and Senior Research Fellow at the Institute of Lassa Fever, Irrua Specialist Teaching Hospital; and Dr Mark Ogbiti, Lecturer in the Department of Obstetrics and Gynaecology, AAUE, and representative of the Edo Central Association of Nigerian Private Medical Practitioners.

The visit ended with the presentation of a commemorative picture frame to Professor Omonzejie in recognition of her first anniversary in office, while the Vice Chancellor reciprocated with gifts to members of the delegation. An interview session and group photograph also formed part of the engagement.

For Dr Eigbedion and the Edo NMA, the visit represented more than a courtesy call. It reinforced the Association’s determination to place doctors’ welfare, professional development and quality medical education at the centre of its engagement with institutions responsible for training the next generation of healthcare professionals.

With the University working towards medical school reaccreditation and the NMA pressing for improved welfare and career opportunities for doctors, the engagement points to a renewed institutional partnership aimed at strengthening medical education and healthcare delivery in Edo State.