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Osinbajo Commissions Multi-billon-naira Research, Training Hospital In Osun
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Former Vice President, Professor Yemi Osinbajo, on Monday commissioned the multi-billion-naira Modupe and Folorunso Alakija Medical Research and Training Hospital in Osogbo, Osun State.
The ultra-modern hospital, built and donated to Osun State University by renowned businesswoman and philanthropist, Mrs Folorunso Alakija, was formally handed over to the university at the ceremony.
Osinbajo said the facility would significantly strengthen the link between theoretical learning and practical medical training, describing its establishment as timely, especially at a period when many Nigerians still travel abroad for advanced medical care.
According to him, the hospital goes beyond routine healthcare delivery, as it is designed to serve as a centre for knowledge generation, skills development and the raising of medical standards.
“This institution stands before us as a monument to life, a sanctuary of healing and a forge for the next generation of African medical excellence,” Osinbajo said. “It has been conceived not just as a facility for contemporary healthcare and research, but as a hospital designed for the future of medicine in Africa.
“This is not a place where illnesses will only be treated. It is a place where knowledge will be generated, skills honed and standards raised.”
He explained that as a medical research and training hospital, the facility occupies a unique space by integrating learning, research and service delivery, while positioning Osun State and Nigeria as contributors to global medical knowledge rather than mere consumers.
In her remarks, the donor and Chancellor of the university, Mrs Alakija, said the hospital was built to provide the institution with an independent revenue base instead of relying solely on government funding.
She noted that the decision was also influenced by national challenges such as brain drain, shortage of medical personnel, poor public health infrastructure, high disease burden and weak health indices.
“It was during subsequent family deliberations that we resolved to build and equip an ultra-modern Medical Research and Teaching Hospital for Osun State University for the benefit of mankind,” she said.
Alakija called for strategic partnerships to sustain and expand the vision of the hospital, describing it as a beacon of hope and a bold step towards transforming healthcare delivery in Osun State, Nigeria and Africa.
Governor Ademola Adeleke commended the Alakija family for the donation, saying he was impressed by the size of the facility and the quality of medical and diagnostic equipment installed.
“This is great beyond description and huge beyond valuation. Governments across the world are finding it increasingly difficult to adequately fund both education and healthcare,” the governor said.
Earlier, the Vice-Chancellor of Osun State University, Professor Clement Adeboye, said the hospital has 250 admission beds, 20 clinical departments, five non-clinical departments, a community health unit, maternity and neonatal care services, digital research and diagnostic laboratories, and four state-of-the-art operating theatres.
He added that the facility is equipped with advanced diagnostic and treatment infrastructure, including CT scan, MRI, ultrasound, X-ray, radiotherapy services and a modern digitised cardiac catheterisation laboratory.
Other facilities include cardiac and ophthalmology theatres, digitised delivery rooms, neonatal intensive care units, dialysis centres with specialised units for HIV and hepatitis patients, intensive care units, a modern mortuary and a restaurant.
