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…as teaching hospitals demand increased funding 

By Gloria Ikibah

The House of Representatives has called on tertiary health institutions nationwide, especially university teaching hospitals, to make medical research a priority instead of only reacting when emergencies like the COVID-19 pandemic arise.

The Chairman House Committee on Health Institutions, Rep. Patrick Umoh, who stated this on Tuesday during the 2026 budget defence of Federal University Teaching Hospitals, Federal Teaching Hospitals and Federal Medical Centres, expressed concern that many teaching hospitals have drifted away from their primary responsibility for research. He said these institutions now function more like general hospitals, neglecting the role they were established to play in advancing medical knowledge.

Rep. Umoh also faulted Chief Medical Directors, for setting aside less than one per cent of their budgets for research. He noted that research funding is rarely given due attention during budget planning, stressing that this lack of commitment continues to undermine innovation and preparedness in the health sector.

He said, “Teaching hospitals are supposed to be centres of research. You have never raised the issue of lack of funding for research, but you talk more about infrastructure. That makes you part of the problem.

“The COVID-19 pandemic caught us all unprepared. Let me mock you a little by saying that traditional medicine practitioners appeared to be doing better. You are not doing research. I have gone on several oversight visits, but no hospital has taken me to a facility and said, ‘this is our research centre.’”

Responding on behalf of the Committee of Chief Medical Directors, the committee’s secretary and Chief Medical Director of the Jos University Teaching Hospital, Prof. Pokop Wushipba Bupwatda, said only about one per cent of teaching hospitals’ budgets is set aside for research, noting that the research budget line is often removed during the budgeting process.

He called for increased funding for the health sector to support the recruitment of qualified personnel and improve staff welfare, describing these steps as crucial to tackling the ongoing “japa syndrome”.

Prof. Bupwatda explained that many federal hospitals are severely understaffed, particularly in terms of medical doctors, adding that even when approval is given to recruit, there are often very few applicants. Despite these difficulties, he said existing staff have continued to provide quality healthcare services and deserve recognition for their commitment.

He also expressed concern that public discussions tend to dwell on isolated failures within the sector, rather than acknowledging the progress that has been made, which he said has helped attract foreigners to Nigeria’s health sector.

According to him, the sector is dealing with a range of challenges that have disrupted its operations, including the release of only about 30 per cent of the 2025 budget to federal tertiary health institutions, despite efforts by the House of Representatives to secure improved budgetary allocations.

Prof. Bupwatda further identified power supply as a major concern, pointing out that hospitals spend enormous sums on electricity because of the need for uninterrupted power to run critical equipment and deliver patient care. He noted that federal hospitals are currently on Band A electricity tariffs, which adds to their financial burden, alongside the high cost of running generators.

He welcomed the proposal to provide solar mini-grids for teaching hospitals and federal medical centres, describing it as a positive and timely intervention.

In addition, Prof. Bupwatda appealed to the committee to consider providing take-off grants for about seven newly established federal health institutions, saying this would enable them to properly commence operations and deliver services effectively.