Speeches

The Induction Ceremony of The Third Graduating Medical Doctors of Lagos State University College of Medicine (LASUCOM)

Jan 30, 2008 - As leaders, we are dreaming about a better future, we are also working hard to bring it to reality, you can be a critical partner in that process.

Medical education is held in high esteem all over the world, therefore, a lot of seriousness and painstaking thoroughness is accorded the training of medical personnel. This is to be expected, given the fact that the Medical profession directly touches on the lives of human beings.

I am happy to observe that Lagos State University College of Medicine (LASUCOM) has successfully served as a catalyst for the physical transformation of Lagos State University Teaching Hospital (LASUTH) as a Centre of Excellence in tertiary healthcare. To be precise the rapid growth of LASUTH has to a great extent been due to the Medical College.

It is gratifying to note and state that LASUCOM and LASUTH have greatly contributed to the successful implementation of our health policies for the benefits of all citizens of Lagos State in the last eight years. It is on record that our health programmes have been positively acclaimed both nationally and internationally. Our Free Healthcare policy especially to the vulnerable and disadvantaged has been predicated on the need to cater for the poor in our society, who ordinarily would have been denied access to needed qualitative healthcare due to inability to afford the cost of treatment.

I congratulate the new Medical Doctors graduating today especially on your commitment and dedication shown during the course of your programme. The seemingly very long journey started many years ago has come to a critical milestone. You are stepping out to compete amongst the best. Lagos State hopefully, will be your theatre, a big theatre of dreams and many possibilities, where the difference between life and death depends on what you do or fail to do. I congratulate the parents, guardians and relations. I also congratulate the teachers for this successful turn out. You have delivered a new set of potential leaders.

Your teachers have really done their best to ensure that a new breed, a new crop of doctors that would help implement the health policies of our government is produced through them. I only pray that our new doctors would reciprocate this by putting in their best to ensure quality healthcare delivery.

Your profession demands of you, honesty, hardwork, resilience, patience, humanitarian feelings and compassion. As you proceed into the world to practise this noble profession, I want to implore you to maintain the high standard for which this College is known. It is heartwarming to hear that three doctors from among the first set are back in the College as lecturers and are embarking on further postgraduate studies.

We believe that our doctors have been exposed to adequate capacity building to impact positively on the lives of the citizens. I am happy to tell you that our government has put in place adequate facilities to effectively help you discharge your duties when you start practicing. For instance, If you look around, a lot of developmental projects are being executed by the government. The medical research complex, the Faculty of Clinical Sciences, the new Animal House with some research facilities and several other projects are almost completed for commissioning. I am also happy to announce to you that construction work has started on the ultra-modern new students’ hostel.

These various projects have become necessary considering the huge population of Lagos State and the need to meet the challenges of providing a safe and healthcare delivery to the teeming population. Besides, we intend to expand in order to accommodate more students and produce enough health personnel and meet the aspirations and expectations of our people to whom we are committed to serve by the special grace of God.

Let me seize this opportunity then to appeal to the Medical and Dental Council of Nigeria (MDCN) to increase the quota of LASUCOM at the 200 level. The State is committed and focused to meet her own part of the bargain and that is being pursued with vigour, but the MDCN should kindly reciprocate our efforts and grant this request. I am informed that the provost has already made the necessary contact with the Council and we eagerly await a positive response.

Similarly, plans are in top gear to assimilate the Lagos State School of Nursing into LASU. In fact, very soon the college would commence this programme. All stakeholders should be assured of the interest of government in this programme and our unalloyed support and commitment. It is in the interest of the citizenry of the State and towards achieving a qualitative health care delivery system of our dream.

Healthcare delivery across the world is getting increasingly expensive. Many societies have adopted the choice of denial of access. We will not do that. We will continue with our policy of free healthcare and seek to manage the costs by taking up proactive steps like deepening preventive healthcare, High Blood Pressure, Diabetes, cancer screening. For instance, 15 micro water works are being constructed across the State because experts believe that where there is water, the health profile of the people will improve. Water is life.

Finally, I want to thank you for this invitation. It is a thing of joy to be associated with and to witness our new medical graduates being inducted into the profession. As you commence your journey into the noble profession, I want to wish you the best of luck and look forward to your contributions to the improvement of the health care delivery system in the State.

I thank you for listening. May God bless you all.

‘Eko o ni baje o!’

Babatunde Raji Fashola, (SAN)
Governor of Lagos State