No fewer than 63 physiotherapists have graduated from the University of Nigeria, with new Deputy Vice Chancellor of the Enugu campus (UNEC) Prof Smart Uchegbu urging them to stick to the ethics of the profession and work with the fear of God.

 

Uchegbu, who represented Vice Chancellor Prof Chukwuma Ozumba, at the induction of the graduates at UNEC, expressed the hope that with the quality training they received during their study, they would excel. He said that although the global economy was in bad shape, the graduates should not cut corners or enrich themselves at the expense of patients.

 

Presenting the physiotherapists to the Registrar, Medical Rehabilitation Therapist Board of Nigeria (MRTB) for induction, the Head of the Department of Medical Rehabilitation, faculty of Health Sciences and Technology, College of Medicine, University of Nigeria, Enugu Campus, Dr. Anthonius Ezeukwu stated that despite the numerous achievements recorded by the department in its 24-year history, there were still some teething problems needing to be addressed by the university administration to enable it to consolidate on the gains made so far.

 

Ezeukwu described as the youngest head of the department since its inception, submitted that the overwhelming and increasing quest for admission into their programme put enormous pressure on their facilities and personnel.

 

Speaking further, he said, “Clinical students are finding it difficult to secure the minimum clinical 2000 hours required to acquire sound clinical training, as they have to go in batches in order to access limited clinical facilities in the various hospitals within our catchment area and this has affected the capacity of our classrooms, library, laboratory and personnel demands”.

 

The lecturer identified the non-appointment of specialist physiotherapists in the department as consultants to the teaching hospitals in their areas of expertise as one of their greatest problems.

 

He said, “This appointment is critical considering that the department has been operating for the past 24 years and should have all necessary staff complement in place by now.”

 

Explaining further, Ezeukwu said, “In fact recently, this challenge attracted the attention of the visiting National Universities Commission, NUC Accreditation team and our external examiners who heavily criticised the programme, and the main reason for their displeasure is that there is lack of recognised clinical training programme for students, since staff of the department are not authorised to teach their students, using, the teaching hospital patients”.

 

He also disclosed that a proposal has been sent to the university administration to expand the department to accommodate other aspects of the profession, adding that the department had secured a large space for laboratory and needed equipment in the Electrotherapy Unit, Gymnasium, Occupational Therapy equipment and other facilities.

 

The head of department expressed joy that after passing through a very turbulent period in the history of the department, since assuming office August last year, they still produced one of the few first-class students of UNN at its last 45th convocation ceremony at Nsukka recently, even as he noted that 106 students of the department were inducted in 2015 against this year’s 63, despite challenges.

 

Enugu State Governor Ifeanyi Ugwuanyi was represented by the state Commissioner for Youth and Sports, Mr. Charles Ndukwe, the Dean, Faculty of Health Sciences and Technology, UNN, Prof. Kalu Agwu, traditional rulers, the clergy and the academia were in attendance.