THE Registrar,Veterinary Council of Nigeria, VCN, Dr. Marcus Avong, has disclosed that the proposed N300 million veterinary specialist hospital will boost human capital development in agricultural sector. Avong disclosed this in Abuja while explaining the huge expectations from the livestock sub-sector, which people rely on for food, job creation, and revenue generation.

 

Avong said: “From our own end, where we think we can develop the veterinary profession is the establishment of this referral veterinary specialist hospital. It is a capital intensive project, which we think will gulp over N300 million. He noted that with over 5, 000 veterinarians registered in the country, that the proposed referral veterinary hospital will have the state of the art laboratory, diagnostic image finder manned by professionals.

 

“And it will be used as a training ground for both undergraduates and those in colleges of veterinary surgery. That is how we think we are going to add value. He added that “the Veterinary Specialist Hospital is an initiative of the Veterinary Council of Nigeria, VCN, targeted at human capacity development. I mean to impact more knowledge in our veterinarians.”

 

According to him it will also serve as a referral hospital in the sub-region to boost human capacity in the agricultural sector of sister countries. However, Avong called on relevant government organisations to cooperate with the VCN in actualising the project.

 

“We want relevant government organisations to cooperate with us on what we are doing to serve Nigerians better and also to ensure the agricultural sector has really qualified veterinary personnel that will do their jobs according to best international practices.

 

 

“The referral veterinary hospital is not going to be involved so much in routine veterinary services, but its main function is to receive referral cases that those in the field cannot handle because of lack of facilities; they bring them here to have results, and go ahead and effect the treatment.

 

“It is not going to be a slaughter house, and nobody should entertain fear because the centre will not be a source of disease outbreak that will affect the human population living in the area.

 

“The importance of the veterinary specialist hospital cannot be overemphasized because it is to add value to the agricultural sector and it stands to be a strategic research centre to be equipped with the state of the art facilities seen in other parts of the world,” he stated.

 

 

By Gabriel Ewepu

vanguard