The Lagos State Executive Council has officially approved the upgrade of the Lagos State University College of Medicine (LASUCOM) to the University of Medicine and Health Science (UMH). This decision was announced by Commissioner for Tertiary Education, Tolani Sule, during a stakeholders’ meeting organized by the Ministry of Tertiary Education and the Ministry of Health, alongside management teams from LASUCOM and the Lagos State University Teaching Hospital (LASUTH).
Sule stated that the draft law to establish UMH has been approved for submission to the Lagos State House of Assembly. He emphasized that the new university will operate with a network of clinical training facilities throughout the state’s IBILE Administrative divisions, with LASUTH serving as the primary clinical training site.
Commissioner for Health, Prof. Akin Abayomi, reaffirmed the government’s commitment to the upgrade, stating, “There is no going back on this upgrade by this administration.” He added that a significant portion of land has been allocated at Ketu-Ejirin in Epe to serve as the university’s main campus, which will include administrative buildings and basic medical science programs.
The innovative plan will enable the university to utilize clinical personnel and infrastructure from well-equipped general hospitals, as well as private hospitals and laboratories, for the training of doctors and other health professionals.
Prof. Abiodun Adewuya, Provost of LASUCOM, expressed gratitude to the government for its commitment to the transition, highlighting the college’s readiness to support the establishment of UMH. “The government has shown beyond doubt its ability to successfully transit the college to a fully-fledged university,” he remarked.
During the meeting, Dr. Eyituoyo Okoturo from the Faculty of Dentistry was awarded the prestigious Sunmonu Bakare Innovation Research Grant, valued at N72 million, presented by Mr. Sunmola Bakare, MD/CEO of AB Offshore Marine Services Ltd.
The meeting also featured several key stakeholders, including the Special Adviser to the Governor on Health, Dr. Olukemi Ogunyemi, and LASUTH Chief Medical Director, Prof. Adetokunbo Fabanwo, among others.
