UNIOSUN Takes Over LAUTECH Teaching Hospital, College of Health Sciences

The government of Osun State has directed the State University to take over the Ladoke Akintola University of Technology (LAUTECH) Teaching Hospital and College of Health Sciences, the College and Hospital located in Osogbo being the share of Osun State after the joint ownership of LAUTECH by Osun and Oyo States was dissolved with Oyo State assuming full ownership of the 30-year-old University.

On Friday, 20th November, the Executive Secretary of the Nigeria University Commission (NUC), Abubakar Rasheed, announced the dissolution of the joint ownership at a press conference. During the press briefing, Abubakar Rasheed had said: “The College of Health, I am sure will be merged with the Osun State University, but the Oyo State Government has now decided to have a teaching hospital in Ogbomosho. They have a hospital there and they are converting that hospital into the teaching arm of the university so that the university of technology owned by Oyo State will continue to provide all courses being rendered including Medicine.”

On Saturday, 5th December, in a press release signed by Osun State Commissioner for Education, Folorunso Oladoyin, the State Government formally announced the transfer of the College and Teaching Hospital to Osun State University. The press release read in part: “Osun State University has been directed to take over the College of Health Sciences and the former LAUTECH Teaching Hospital in Osogbo.  This new development will complement the MAIN Teaching Hospital that is under construction and donated by Mr & Mrs Modupe and Folorunso Alakija. The Government of the State of Osun has approved the renaming of former LAUTECH Teaching Hospital as UNIOSUN Teaching Hospital (UNIOSUNTH), Osogbo with immediate effect.”

The release continued: “All Consultants and other staff of the College of Health Sciences, as well as the Teaching Hospital in Osogbo, are assured of job security under the new arrangement as nobody will suffer the loss of their job or income as a result of the separation of ownership. The Government wishes to advise Staff and Students of Osun extraction in Ogbomoso campus of LAUTECH to please remain there in Ogbomoso as their interests have been well protected by the MoU signed by the two Governors and there is no reason for any staff to panic as their rights, privileges and duties will be dictated by the terms of their contract of employment.”

Osun State University initially suspended Medicine and Surgery programme during the 2012/2013 academic session due to unavailability of Teaching Hospital for Clinical training of Medical Students, and the Students at the time transferred to Kharkiv Karazin National University, Ukraine. The programme has since returned since 2018/2019 session after the donation of a Teaching Hospital to the University by her Chancellor, Folorunso Alakija. The foundation of the Teaching Hospital was laid on 22nd November 2018. The 250-bed hospital is still under construction.