Novena University/Asaba Specialist Hospital, Asaba, Delta State, has been given approval by the Medical and Dental Council of Nigeria (MDCN) to add medicine to the list of courses offered in the institution, giving the school the right to train students in the medical field. The approval was given by the Medical and Dental Council of Nigeria recently, during an advisory and clinical accreditation visit of Dr. Fatima Kyari, Registrar, MDCN, represented by Dr. Nnaemeka Nwakamma, Director of Education, MDCN, to Novena University/Asaba Specialist Hospital.
Dr. Nwakamma commended the partnership of Novena University and Delta State Government (Asaba Specialist Hospital), for their excellent performance in the verification of the university’s facilities, faculty, and overall preparedness to run the Novena University College of Medical and Health Sciences’ programmes. According to him, this makes Novena University one of the few universities across Nigeria to get Medicine accreditation in the first attempt, adding that it is phenomenal because the exercise is professionally handled to ensure the seriousness and preparedness of the Novena/ASH team to produce medical doctors for the world.
He added that with this accreditation, graduates of Novena University will be acceptable all over the world to practice medicine upon meeting the internal requirements of each country. Stating that the context of the exercise was based on the non-compromising insistence of the council that standards must be met at all costs, he added that this is the reason Nigeria has continued to supply the world with qualified medical doctors. For his part, Prof. Godwin Nduka, Vice-Chancellor of Novena University expressed gratitude to MDCN, Dr. Nwakamma and members of his team who were drawn from universities and related professional bodies across Nigeria for their diligence and thoroughness in the performance of their responsibilities to the medical profession and the larger society.
Nduka commended Prof. Charles Ofili, Provost of the College of Medicine, Novena University, and Dr. P. A. Ighosewe, the CMD of Asaba Specialist Hospital, for their expertise, professionalism, and organisational abilities in guiding the team in achieving the success story. He commended Chuks Ochonogor, Pro-Chancellor and Chairman of the Governing Council of Novena University, for his foresight, patronage, and exceptional leadership qualities, as well as well as Dr. Joseph Onojaeme, the Honourable Commissioner for Health, Delta State for the prompt intervention, adding that the commissioner’s belief in the PPP policy of the Delta State Government and his matching order to the combined team of Asaba Specialist Hospital/Novena University to get the results without failing paved the way for this success. He thanked Rt. Hon. Francis Oborevwori, Delta State Governor and his predecessor, Dr. Arthur Okowa, who saw to the fruitful partnership between Novena University and the Delta State Government.
