With the complete accreditation of programs and programmes in PAMO College of Medical Sciences by the Nationwide Universities Fee and different skilled our bodies not too long ago, and the continuing improve of its educating hospital, all inside three years of its institution, the administration of the establishment is decided to take medical training within the nation to the height, Ugo Aliogo writes
With the directive by the Nationwide Universities Fee (NUC) to universities within the nation to renew on January 18, 2021, one college the place college students are anxiously trying ahead to renew the 2020-2021 educational session is PAMO College of Medical Sciences (PUMS). For them and their dad and mom, the excellent news is that the establishment is resuming few months after the NUC totally accredited their programs and programmes to their delight and that of the administration of the establishment.
By legislation, the NUC is empowered to put down Minimal Tutorial Requirements (MAS) for universities within the nation and to accredit their diploma programmes. This results in the preparation, with using specialists, of the MAS for the 13 disciplines taught in Nigerian universities in 1989. The disciplines are; Administration, Agriculture, Arts, Primary Medical Sciences, Training, Engineering and Expertise, Environmental Sciences, Regulation, Drugs and Dentistry, Pharmaceutical Sciences, Sciences, Social Sciences and Veterinary Drugs.
Accreditation of diploma programmes by the NUC is a system of evaluating educational programmes in Nigerian universities to make sure that they meet the provisions of the MAS paperwork. The goals of the train are to: be sure that the provisions of the MAS are attained, maintained and enhanced.
For PAMO College of Medical Sciences, Nigeria’s first personal establishment devoted wholly to the medical sciences, NUC accrediting its programs and progammes inside three years is outstanding. The excellent news to the scholars, administration and stakeholders of the establishment is that with the complete accreditation of programs and programmes, the scholars may be assured that they’re operating real programmes. So it’s with their dad and mom who’re chargeable for their welfare.
The cheering information is that the accreditation would make the younger college a vacation spot for admission seekers, as dad and mom and guardians would need their kids and wards to attend PAMO.
After the NUC accreditation, the Nursing and Midwifery Council of Nigeria additionally accredited the college’s Division of Nursing Science, whereas the accreditation by the Medical Laboratory Council got here earlier than the NUC’s. Which means that the college now has all its programs and programmes totally accredicted.
At present, the establishment has programs resembling Anatomy, Biochemistry, Human Diet and Dietetics, Pharmacology and Physiology within the College of Primary Medical Sciences, in addition to Bachelor of Drugs and Surgical procedure (MBBS) and Nursing within the College of Scientific Sciences.
PUMS is Nigeria’s first personal medical college solely dedicated to pursing programs and programmes within the medical and allied subject. It’s well-equipped to world requirements and located in a serene setting in Port Harcourt, Rivers State. The college administration mentioned its goal is to take medical training to the height within the nation.
The Particular Adviser to the Professional-Chancellor of the college, Dr. Abdulrahman Sambo, who broke the information of the collection of accreditations to THISDAY, mentioned the establishment which is the primary to be granted licence inside one 12 months of planning, can be the primary to acquire full accreditation of all its programs and programmes on the first go to, and first to have its admission quota for drugs elevated or doubled even earlier than graduating the primary set of medical college students.
“NUC has granted full accreditation standing to 6 of the seven programmes, the seventh programme, MBBS, has not been visited as a result of it’s not due but, because it’s a six-year programme, so the go to can be in the direction of the tip of subsequent 12 months.
“Nursing and Midwifery Council has additionally granted full accreditation to the programme and elevated admission quota of scholars, similar with Medical Laboratory Science, which has been granted full accreditation additionally.
“The one granted by the Medical and Dental Council of Nigeria (MDCN) is for pre-clinical as a result of their accreditation takes three phases: first is pre-clinical, second is primary scientific sciences and the third and last is for the scientific sciences. A college has to scale one earlier than it will get to the following stage.
“We’ve scaled the primary and ordinarily, this takes quite a lot of years. For us, it’s a monumental achievement as a result of some universities spend between 5 to 6 years to get it. PAMO College was in a position to get it on the very first go to after which the rise within the admission quota,” Sambo mentioned.
He famous that aside from the MBBS, Bachelor of Nursing Science, Bachelor of Medical Laboratory Science, Bachelor in Physiology, Anatomy, Biochemistry and Pharmacology, the college is planning so as to add extra programs through the subsequent educational session.
THISDAY additionally gathered that with the accreditation, which might additionally result in admission of extra college students, the college has begun large enlargement of its buildings, together with lecture rooms, halls, hostels, laboratories and library services.
“We’ve received a big chunk of land behind the college which we’ve got acquired and extra hostels are being constructed, educational blocks are being added after which library auditorium,” Sambo mentioned.
One of many best strengths of the college is that it already has an current educating hospital established by its founder who’s a famend medical physician established within the Nineteen Eighties, known as PAMO Clinics and Hospitals Group.
The hospital has been on the forefront of the availability of high-class medical care and companies to residents and guests to Port Harcourt and Rivers State for almost 40 years. It additionally has through the years, offered high-quality medical remedy and well being promotion companies spanning Inner Drugs, Household Drugs, Surgical procedure, Obstetrics, Gynaecology and Paediatrics to people, households and company organisations throughout sectors resembling vitality, oil and gasoline, energy, agriculture and development.
Which means that from takeoff, the hospital will support college students proper from early phases with a purpose to have a full medical data and expertise. That is in contrast to different universities the place college students usually are not uncovered to hospital expertise till they’re in 400 degree.
Sambo furthered revealed that the administration of PAMO is at present increasing the hospital with a purpose to improve it to the educating hospital arm of the college.
“We’re additionally about increasing the educating hospital. We’re increasing to improve it to the educating hospital arm of the college. A memorandum of understanding has been signed between the Rivers State governent and State College Instructing Hospital and PUMS, the place college students of PUMS can be visiting the State College Instructing Hospital for scientific coaching earlier than the completion of the constructing of the PAMO Instructing Hospital.
“We’re the primary college to be granted licence inside one 12 months of planning, first college to acquire full accreditation of all its programmes on the first go to and first to have its admission quota for drugs elevated or doubled even earlier than graduating the primary set of medical college students.
“This was a document, getting a licence below a 12 months. Others spend 5 to fifteen years planning for this and PAMO is the primary and solely personal college in Nigeria that was in a position to get the licence inside a 12 months of graduation of planning and first to begin educational actions a number of months after.”
The particular adviser defined that a part of the thought behind the institution of the college is to inculcate the tradition of teamwork in all the scholars who will graduate from the establishment, stating that the seeming discordance amongst medical professionals within the nation at this time is just not good for the system.
He reiterated that apart tackling the apparent manpower issues within the well being sector, the thought behind the institution of the college can be to reform the mindset of scholars in the direction of healthcare supply within the nation.
In response to him, the establishment was set as much as appropriate the angle of medical practitioners in the direction of their sufferers and foster inter-professional relations, which have tended to go bitter among the many completely different professionals inside the well being system.
“We wish our graduates to see themselves as members of a group ab-initio, proper from coaching to the purpose of commencement and subsequent skilled apply. Then trying on the south-south generally and Rivers State particularly, there isn’t any personal college in Rivers per say.
“So, it’s not simply the primary personal medical college within the nation, but in addition the primary personal college in Rivers State. The idea of the college began in December 2016 and the primary assembly of the committee was in February 2017 and by December 19 of the identical 2017, the college had received its operational licence from the NUC.
“It’s additionally the primary to have a former head of state as its chancellor and chairman, board of trustees,” he mentioned.
Sambo added that since its institution, PUMS has develop into a selection of examine for a lot of Nigerians filling their Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB) varieties. He famous that the extent of self-discipline and high quality of studying within the establishment has develop into unequalled, as its projection stays to develop into among the finest universities within the nation.
“Those that are filling PAMO College of their JAMB varieties have surpassed the area we’ve got for college kids. This reveals that many college students need to come to the college for his or her educational pursuit. Our plan is to make sure that graduates from this establishment are distinctive in the midst of providing healthcare companies to Nigerians. And for that to occur, they have to be licensed worthy in character and studying, which is what we’re pursuing,” he mentioned.
