UNIMED Amendment Law:Ondo Assembly Holds Public Hearing
By Awodeyi Elizabeth
Stakeholders in the health sector believed that the amendment bill establishing the University Of Medical Sciences,UNIMED,Ondo , when passed into law would enhance the status and optimal functioning of the University.
They made their position known at the public hearing on a law to provide for the establishment,incorporation, constitution and functions of the University of Medical Sciences, UNIMED,Ondo held at the Ondo State House of Assembly in Akure.
The hearing attracted Medical experts across the State and members of the public, all of whom contributed their input and submitted memos on the amended bill.
Declaring the hearing open, Speaker of the Assembly, Rt Hon Olamide Oladiji noted that the exercise is in accordance with the constitution, to amend and review laws, hence the need for the public hearing exercise to incorporate major stakeholders input.
“As you are all aware that already ,the University has an existing law that has to do with Ondo State University of Medical Sciences.The exercise is to review and amend.What we need from the stakeholders is their contributions,support and cooperation for a robust law.
“We don’t want a situation where students would pass out of the school and the results became useless,our target is that after this change of name, the committee will go back and look critically into your contribution, ideas, and then collate it and come up with a very good recommendation and the bill will be passed into law.
“Ondo State University of Medical Science when it legally change to the University of Medical Sciences, would increase the admission of students and add value to the image of the school”.
The Chairman, House Committee on Tertiary Institutions, Hon Chris Aiyebusiwa, affirmed that the Committee has scrutinized the bill as expected, considering the present concerns, visions, hopes and aspirations of
government and the school.
He however noted that the sensitive nature of the bill requires the contributions of well-meaning stakeholders in order to have
an amended law that would stand the test of time.
The Chairman called on stakeholders in the sector to ensure that all hands are on deck to uphold best practices.
The Vice Chancellor of the University, Professor Adesegun Fatusi explained the principal reason why proposing the amendment is for the name of the university to be legally known as University of Medical Sciences (UNIMED).
“If you go to the JAMB website,or NYSC, you will not find University of Medical Sciences because, legal paper that established it was Ondo State University of Medical Sciences,called OSUMS at that point in time.
“And at the point where we are now, ten years in history, it is not only become extremely important that this name be legally established as UNIMED, but because we got into a point where some of our graduates are running into trouble when they present certificates outside the Country, and they check JAMB website and could not find the name.
“That is the major reason we have been pressing that we need a law to amend the name formally for JAMB to recognize it and also take another look at what the law provides, for minor amendment “,he stated.
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