Dr Hassan Ikrama, Chief Medical Director, Dalhatu Araf Specialist Hospital (DASH), Lafia, says the hospital has been given full accreditation for residency training in Family Medicine.
Ikrama made the disclosure to the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN), on Friday in Lafia.
He explained that with the accreditation, doctors would now be trained in the hospital to become consultants in family medicine.
He attributed the achievement to the current transformation in the hospital with improved facilities and personnel.
He explained that four other departments were awaiting full accreditation from the various colleges and listed them to include Obstetrics/Gynaecology, Surgery, Paediatrics and Internal Medicine.
Ikrama said that a team from the West African College of Physicians paid a visit to the hospital recently with the view to granting full accreditation to the four departments.
He said that the accreditation team, led by Prof. Isaac Kofi, made some observations and suggestions, which the management had started addressing the provision of standard health services to the people.
He reiterated his commitment, with the support of the state government, to ensuring that DASH stood out as one of the best tertiary health institutions in the country.
The CMD, however, appealed to the people of the state to always visit Primary Healthcare Centres (PHCs), and general hospitals for health challenges within their scope.
He explained that the primary and secondary health facilities in the state had been equipped to handle certain levels of care, adding that only those with complications or requiring specialised care should be referred to DASH.
He decried situations where people throng DASH for malaria and other illnesses that could easily be handled at the primary and secondary health facilities, urging people to visit the PHCs if faced with such ailments.