Experts Concerned Over Lack Of Medical Simulation Centers In Nigeria
Experts are concerned over the severe lack of medical simulation centers across the country which has hindered the effective training of medical professionals.
Submitting a report on Thursday to the chairman of the board of trustees of TETFund, Aminu Masari in Abuja, the TETFund ad-hoc committee on medical simulation and innovation interventions emphasised the urgent need for these centers to be established to enhance healthcare education and reduce medical errors.
Speaking during the presentation recently, the chairman of the committee and a world-renowned neurosurgeon, Prof. Wale Sulaiman stated that the absence of simulation centers is severely limiting the ability to train healthcare workers effectively.
“Modern educational practices are almost absent in Nigerian universities.
“This lack of resources is especially apparent in the minimal use of advanced technologies like telemedicine and remote patient monitoring, which are essential for improving access to healthcare across the nation,” he said.
The committee also urged the Federal Government to establish multiple medical simulation centres across the country, at least one simulation centre in each geopolitical zone.
According to the findings of the committee, the estimated cost of setting up each simulation centre is between N4 to N6 billion, subject to inflationary trends.
The report also called for urgent modernisation of medical practices in Nigeria including substantial investment in Artificial Intelligence (AI) technologies, to transform patient diagnostics and treatment.
“There is an urgent need for all healthcare regulatory bodies in Nigeria to incorporate medical simulation in the education curriculum of their trainees as well as accept medical simulation training as a critical component of Continuing medical education (CME) and proficiency training,” he said.
He emphasised the need to accelerate the transition to integrated training curriculum in all healthcare institutions.
Sulaiman lamented that the absence of simulation centres is severely limiting the ability to train healthcare workers effectively.
According to him, investing in innovative technologies is the most cost-effective way to meet the growing demand for medical care in the country.
“We must train our young population to become experts in these innovative technologies to minimise dependency on foreign experts,” he stated.
Chairman, Board of Trustees of TETFund, Aminu Bello Masari, in his response, commended members of the committee for their diligence, while also assuring them implementation of the recommendations, saying they would not be let down.
He maintained that AI is the future and Nigeria could not be left behind in new ways of doing things, especially the urgent need to prepare the younger generation for the tomorrow.
Executive Secretary of TETFund, Arc Sonny Echono, applauded the committee for their commitment and dedication to timely submission of the report to guide the government on the next line of action.
Experts Concerned Over Lack Of Medical Simulation Centers In Nigeria is first published on The Whistler Newspaper
