Senate Advances Bill to Amend University Teaching Hospitals Act as Proposal passes Second Reading

By Iyojo Ameh

A bill seeking to amend the University Teaching Hospitals and Reconstitution of Boards Act 2005 has passed second reading in the Senate.

The progress of the bill followed the presentation of its general principles during plenary in Abuja.

Sponsor of the bill, Senator Abba Moro from Benue State, said during his lead debate that the primary objective was to amend the Act to include the Federal University of Health Sciences, Otukpo Teaching Hospital, which is already established and operational.

He explained that the teaching hospital serves as a premier institution for training healthcare professionals in Benue State and across Nigeria. According to him, the university aims to produce highly skilled and competent clinical practitioners capable of meeting the nation’s healthcare needs.

Moro noted that the National Health Act 2014, Section 10, provides the framework for establishing teaching hospitals in Nigeria, emphasizing that such institutions must be backed by an Act of the National Assembly. He said this requirement underscores the necessity for the amendment.

He appealed to lawmakers to support the bill’s progression.

Senator Victor Umeh (LP–Anambra), speaking in support, stated that any university offering medicine must have a teaching hospital to back academic activities in its medical college. He noted that clinical studies carried out in teaching hospitals are essential for grooming students, adding that without such a facility, a university’s medical college cannot function effectively.

Following its passage for second reading, Senate President Godswill Akpabio referred the bill to the Committee on Health, Secondary and Tertiary Institutions for further legislative work, with a directive to report back in four weeks.

Akpabio commended the bill’s sponsor and contributing lawmakers, noting that a key point in the sponsor’s submission was particularly important. He reiterated that the bill seeks to amend the Act to include the Federal University of Health Sciences Teaching Hospital, Otukpo, which is already operational, in order to ensure its legal status.