A Federal Government committee has called for increased investment in specialised healthcare education and facilities in Nigerian universities to improve autism assessment and care. The committee said strengthening professional training would help address shortages of qualified personnel and expand access to support services.
Chairperson of the National Committee for the Advancement of Occupational Therapy, Audiology and Speech Therapy Education, Dr Victoria Amu, made the call during an advisory visit to the Federal University of Kashere in Gombe State.
Amu identified occupational therapy, audiology and speech therapy as important disciplines in assessing, managing and supporting people with autism and related developmental conditions. She said expanding these programmes would improve access to specialised services, particularly in underserved communities.
She explained that the committee, inaugurated by the Minister of Education, Dr Tunji Alausa, was established to assess university infrastructure and institutional capacity, and recommend ways to strengthen specialised professional education.
During the visit, the university’s Vice-Chancellor, Prof Muhammad Inuwa Ja’afaru, pledged support for establishing the North-East Regional Office of the Autism Assessment and Intervention Centre. He said the institution had approached the Tertiary Education Trust Fund for special intervention funding to build a complex for the proposed programmes and shared facilities.
Ja’afaru also expressed concern over the migration of Nigerian healthcare professionals abroad, popularly known as the japa syndrome, and called for measures to improve the country’s capacity to train and retain skilled workers. The Deputy Vice-Chancellor (Academic), Prof Santaya Kela, also assured the committee of the university’s cooperation.
Earlier, the Provost of the Jibril Aminu College of Medical Sciences, Prof Abubakar Muhammad Bakari, said the college was prepared to accommodate the proposed regional centre.
He disclosed that the institution had already started an Occupational Therapy programme and expressed confidence that its existing facilities, alongside the proposed TETFund support, would help establish the centre.
