LAGOS State Government has pledged more support to upgrade the Lagos State College of Nursing, Midwifery and Public Health in Igando.
Special Adviser to the Governor on Education, Mr. Tokunbo Wahab, gave the pledge during the visit of the Resource Verification Team from the Nursing and Midwifery Council of Nigeria (NMCM), Abuja, to the College.
He said that the State Government will do everything to ensure the School of Nursing ranks among the best in the country in terms of infrastructure, physical and material resources as well as structured academic programmes that conform to international best practices.
The Special Adviser emphasised that there is a need to increase the admission of students into the College, being the only State-owned Nursing Institution which serves as a feeder to all public hospitals in Lagos, saying the low ratio of nurses to patients does not conform to World Health Organisation standard.
Wahab also gave an assurance that the State Government will soon put in place upgraded facilities and hire more tutors to make learning more conducive for all staff and students so as to attract new intakes to the College.
He said: “The State Government intends to ensure that the College of Nursing is of a high standard by constructing more facilities and employing more lecturers for the school. There are also plans towards instituting a Governing Council for the College to ensure proper management."
Earlier, the Provost of the College,. Mrs Oyefunso Orenuga, explained that the Resource Verification team led by Mrs Leo Grace Musa, came to check the level of preparedness of the College, ensure that necessary measures are in place to guarantee the approval for the increase in the number of the students intake by the Nursing and Midwifery Council of Nigeria, and ascertain that the College is ready to commence other related courses.
In her remarks, the team leader commended Lagos State for giving nursing education priority, noting that the current administration has once again set an enviable standard with the facilities on ground and urging the government to ensure that the College becomes first amongst equals in the country.
