The Pioneer Vice Chancellor of the Federal University of Medicine and Medical Sciences, Abeokuta, Prof Fatiu Arogundade, has said the Federal Government is already taking deliberate steps to address the growing challenges confronting Nigeria\u2019s health sector, particularly the increasing migration of medical professionals abroad.\n<\/p>\n
Arogundade stated this while speaking at a reception organised in his honour following his appointment as the pioneer vice chancellor of the institution.\n<\/p>\n
He described the establishment of the new medical universities as part of the government\u2019s strategy to strengthen healthcare manpower and bridge personnel shortages in the country.\n<\/p>\n
Speaking at the reception, the nephrologist expressed surprise at the honour done to him, noting that he remained humbled by the support and goodwill of senior colleagues, associates and stakeholders in the medical and academic communities.<\/p>\n
\u201cThis is a very surprising one, and it shows that one has been associated with excellent persons over the years. If you look around, you will discover that I am really junior to many of them, and I really appreciate this, and I thank them all,\u201d he said.\n<\/p>\n
Addressing concerns over the mass migration of Nigerian doctors and other healthcare workers, Arogundade acknowledged that the country\u2019s medical sector was facing significant pressure due to the persistent brain drain, but maintained that government intervention was already underway.\n<\/p>\n
He stated, \u201cMedicine is currently facing many challenges. We have an exodus of our health personnel from the country in droves, and the brain drain is a major one. The government is doing a lot to combat this.<\/p>\n
\u201cOne of the things the government is doing is boosting the training capacity of doctors and all other allied professionals.\n<\/p>\n
\u201cMy own school is one of the new schools created by the government to further boost this training, so even if some decide to leave the country, because we can\u2019t really stop them because of human rights, we would still have more than enough to man and take care of the country.\u201d\n<\/p>\n
The vice chancellor also spoke on the early challenges confronting the newly established university, particularly in the areas of infrastructure and manpower development, revealing that significant progress had already been made within a short period.\n<\/p>\n
He said, \u201cAs a pioneer vice chancellor, there are many challenges. One is the problem of infrastructure, personnel, among others.\n<\/p>\n
\u201cWe have secured approvals to recruit, and we have recruited close to 300 staff members as we speak. Our students are in school, they have done their first semester and are going to their second year. The structures they will use in their second year are equally being prepared, and there won\u2019t be any break.\u201d\n<\/p>\n
Arogundade assured students and parents that the institution was committed to building a world-class medical university capable of producing globally competitive healthcare professionals equipped to function effectively both within and outside Nigeria. <\/p>\n
\u201cThe students should expect a fantastic learning environment, exceptional lecturers and, at the end, adequate training that will make them able to adequately fit in and also function as medical personnel in any part of the world,\u201d he added.<\/p>\n
Earlier in his remarks, the Chairman of the occasion, Prof Babatunde Salako, described Arogundade\u2019s appointment as well deserved, citing his extensive contributions to medicine, academia and healthcare administration at both national and continental levels.\n<\/p>\n
He stressed, \u201cIt is no coincidence that you were appointed to this high office.\n<\/p>\n
\u201cYour pedigree as a mentee of Professor Wale Akinsola has left a lasting impact on your trajectory. Your past services as Registrar of the National Postgraduate Medical College, President of the Nigerian Association of Nephrology, Secretary of the African Association of Nephrology, President of the Transplant Association of Nigeria, and your roles on numerous national and professional committees have all showcased your worth as an astute professional, academic and administrator.\u201d\n<\/p>\n
Salako also urged the new vice chancellor to embrace inclusive leadership, staff welfare and institutional transparency, warning against allowing administrative barriers to disconnect him from the realities within the university community.\n<\/p>\n
\u201cBe fair to all, regardless of religion, tribe, or professional background. See yourself as the chief servant of the institution.\n<\/p>\n
\u201cMaintain an open door policy so that even the lowest cadre of staff or members of the student union can reach you when necessary. Do not allow aides to isolate you from reality,\u201d he said\n<\/p>\n
Prof Salako further stressed that true leadership should be measured by impact and service to people rather than the duration spent in office, urging Arogundade to build a legacy rooted in compassion, professionalism and excellence.<\/p>\n
Salako advised, \u201cLeadership, in its truest sense, is not measured by the length of time one occupies a position, but by the impact made while in that seat. For indeed, people are the true legacy. A bridge you build for someone may carry your name longer than any title you ever bore.\u201d\n<\/p>\n
Prof Gregory Erhabor spoke on what he called the \u201cGlass House Effect\u201d, one which reflects the heightened level of visibility and accountability that comes with leadership.\n<\/p>\n
Erhabor said for executives and institutional leaders, every action, decision and omission is constantly observed and interpreted by employees, stakeholders and the wider public.\n<\/p>\n
\u201cYou are the primary guardian of the company\u2019s values. If there is a gap between what the company says and what it does, the scrutiny will fall squarely on your shoulders,\u201d he added.\n <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"The Pioneer Vice Chancellor of the Federal University of Medicine and Medical Sciences, Abeokuta, Prof Fatiu Arogundade, has…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":955288,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[4316],"tags":[266658,6929,266659,105,4348,90920,266660,250016,266661,266662,247678,89043,16,15],"class_list":{"0":"post-955287","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-healthcare","8":"tag-fatiu-arogundade","9":"tag-federal-government","10":"tag-fumsa","11":"tag-health","12":"tag-healthcare","13":"tag-healthcare-challenges","14":"tag-manpower-development","15":"tag-medical-brain-drain","16":"tag-medical-education","17":"tag-medical-universities","18":"tag-nigeria-health-sector","19":"tag-nigerian-doctors","20":"tag-uk","21":"tag-united-kingdom"},"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"https:\/\/pubeurope.com\/@uk\/116562875347561608","error":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/955287","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=955287"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/955287\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/955288"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=955287"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=955287"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=955287"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}