Jigawa governor grants 160 students scholarship to Sudan to study medicine
To address the growing workforce shortfall in the healthcare industry, Jigawa Governor Muhammad Badaru says he is sending 160 students to Sudan to study medicine.
The governor’s media aide, Habibu Kila, stated this in a statement issued in Dutse on Friday.
Before their departure on Thursday, the governor spoke to the 160 students who were sponsored to study medicine in Sudan.
“It is in fulfilment of this objective that the government embarked on the massive improvement of all basic healthcare facilities in every political ward of the state,” a statement by the Jigawa government noted. “We will ensure that no political ward is left without one.”
In 2016, 60 students from the state who met the requirements in their Senior Secondary School Examination (SSCE) were sent to China to study “clinical medicine after rigorous screenings.”
According to Mr Kila, the 60 students had completed the course and are now back in Jigawa hospitals undergoing internship.
“This is as a prerequisite for the fulfilment of the conditions of their medical training. Governor Badaru has expressed satisfaction with the quality of the training they acquired from the Chinese universities,” the statement added.
The 160 students comprise 60 males, and 100 females will attend various Sudanese universities.
“In a memorable event at the Government House, Dutse, Governor Badaru reaffirmed that the purpose of sending the students to Sudan was to continue filling the ever-widening manpower gap in the health sector,” the Jigawa explained. “He, therefore, urged the students to be good ambassadors of the state by studying hard to excel in their studies. They should ensure that at the end of their course, they will render selfless service to their communities so as to overcome the health challenges in the state.”
The governor also reminded them that, as potential doctors, their primary duty was to save lives and treat patients with all the seriousness that that profession demands.
