In a bid to elevate the standard of healthcare, the Ondo state government, has officially handed over the Akure Teaching Hospital complex of the state-owned University of Medical Sciences (UNIMED) to the Federal Government, through a Memorandum of Understanding signature and unveiling of the new complex.
The Teaching Hospital complex, which has been renamed the Federal University of Technology Akure Teaching Hospital (FUTATH), is expected to serve as a medical education, training and research center for students of FUTA as well as provide specialized care to patients.
The now relinquished facility is one of three teaching hospital complexes owned by UNIMED, located at the medical village, Laje road and hospital road in Ondo city, Ondo state.
During the official transfer and unveiling in Akure, Governor Lucky Aiyedatiwa of Ondo state, who was represented by his deputy, Olayide Adelami, described the act as a bold step by the administration to further deepen medical education and research in the country.
According to him, “By handing over this asset to the federal government, we are effectively unlocking superior funding, advanced equipment procurement, specialised personnel recruitment and robust inclusion in national and international research networks. We are confident that the brilliant minds we train here will benefit from enhanced research opportunities and collaboration with federal universities. Again, the hospital’s infrastructure will undergo comprehensive modernisation”.
Delivering his address, the Coordinating Minister of Health and Social Welfare, Prof. Ali Pate, said the relinquished teaching hospital will transform the health landscape of Ondo state and Nigeria in terms of training, research and services.
He added, “It is with deep humility that I come here, with the delegated authority of my boss, President Bola Tinubu, to sign the Memorandum of Understanding (MoU), transferring the UNIMED Teaching Hospital to become the new Federal University of Technology Akure Teaching Hospital.
The minister acknowledged the role of notable figures in the state, including elder statesman, Pa Reuben Fasoranti and the Deji of Akure, Oba Ogunlade Aladetoyinbo, among many others.
