DELSU: Provost Raises Alarm Over Lack Of Space For Housemanship

By Dafe Rukevwe
The Provost, College of Health Sciences, Delta State University (DELSU), Abraka, Professor Lawrence Omo-Aghaoja, has raised the alarm over lack of spaces for the institution’s medical doctors to perform their mandatory Housemanship.
He, therefore, called on the Delta State Government, to as a matter of urgency, provide spaces for medical doctors to enable them perform their Housemanship.
Aghoja, in an exclusive interview with this reporter in Abraka, noted that such move would save new graduate medical doctors from being rusty in medical practice and also fast track their level of growth in the profession.
He said: “It is almost impossible to get spaces for Housemanship. In Delta State, we have limited capacity to train house officers. In the state’s teaching hospital, they train about 24, while in the state Hospital Management Board they don’t train more than 40.
“However, in a year, our medical school, at least, graduates more than a 100 medical doctors or more. For instance, in this batch we have graduated 27, second batch of this set will graduate 8, and by April, August and December more batches will be graduated.
“So, if you put the tally together we will be looking at 150 medical doctors. As doctors, if your primary state cannot cater for you, then there is a very big challenge.
He recalled with concerns: “We have had people who have stayed idol for two years, without getting places for housemanship and regrettably, after two years, your license and registration expires.
“In view of this, you will have to go and do a remedial course and examination with the Dental and Medical Council to re-validate your degree before you can be licensed again to practice. It is a major challenge and we appeal to the state Governor to come to our aid to save our medical doctors from rust. You can imagine a fresh medical doctor staying two years without a place to do Housemanship, definitely, rustiness will set in.