As part of its commitment towards the development of the medical profession in Nigeria, the Nigerian Breweries-Felix Ohiwerei Education Trust Fund  has donated various medical training equipment valued at N42 million to the College of Medicine, University of Ibadan for the training of medical students.

The equipment donated include: a Lung Sound and Auscultation Trainer, a Blood Pressure Measurement Trainer, a Lumbar Puncture & Epidural Simulator, a Paediatric IV Hand Simulator, a Paediatric Lumbar Puncture Simulator II, a Rectal Examination Trainer MK, a Keele & Staff Episiotomy Repair Trainer, a Chest Drain & Needle Decompression Trainer, an Airway Suction Trainer, an Abdominal Ultrasound Examination Trainer, Ultrasound Vascular Access Trainer and a SimMom Birth Simulator.

Speaking during the handover of the equipment at the College of Medicine, the Managing Director/CEO, Nigerian Breweries Plc, Jordi Borrut Bel commended the College for the dedication of its team and the standard of training, which has encouraged the Trust Fund to commit over N90 million in various projects in support of the College since 2015. These include the furnishing and equipping the various departments, purchasing medical simulators and mannequins to deliver qualitative training to Medical Students.

According to Bel, “Since the birth of civilization, the medical profession has remained one of the most noble and respected professions in the world. Today, more than ever before, medical personnel are playing a central role in the battle to protect our world from some of the worst viruses we have ever seen. We, therefore, have a collective duty to prepare the next generation of doctors for the future in the best possible way. This is why we remain absolutely committed to supporting the College of Medicine, University of Ibadan and other educational institutions in providing quality healthcare across Nigeria.”

In his own remarks, the Provost of the College, Professor Olapade Olaopa lauded Nigerian Breweries Plc and the Felix Ohiwerei Education Trust Fund for the kind gesture noting that the equipment would help improve the quality of medical education in the institution with optimal impact on its medical students.

“We are extremely delighted with the donation of this equipment. This would go a long way at providing our students with the necessary training or capacity to perform optimally in the medical profession. No doubt, this donation will further push the dreams of making this College the best and the destination of choice for aspiring medical students as well as morale booster for many of our students desirous of competing with their counterparts in the profession globally”, Olaopa said.

Established in 1994 with a seed fund of N100m, the Nigerian Breweries-Felix Ohiwerei Education Trust Fund (named after a former Managing Director of Nigerian Breweries) has invested in the development of educational infrastructure across Nigeria with the goal of improving the learning environment for the benefit of both teachers and students

The fund has built over 400 classrooms in 77 communities across the nation, carried out career guidance counselling sessions for over 3,000 students and carried out educational improvement projects in over 10 tertiary Institutions.

The Fund also sponsors the annual Maltina Teacher of the Year initiative, which commenced in 2015 to recognize and celebrate exceptional teachers in Nigerian Secondary Schools.