������Ƶ

Rebecca Ejifoma

Nigeria’s healthcare sector continues to struggle with significant challenges, including inadequate medical infrastructure, shortages of essential equipment and the migration of health professionals abroad.

While these systemic issues persist, initiatives that encourage and equip future doctors are helping to strengthen the country’s healthcare workforce.

As part of the Dr. Samuel Uwa & Prof. Lucy Amadin-Osemota Memorial Awards, the Emmanuel Osemota Foundation (EOF) honoured 20 outstanding medical students of the College of Medicine, Ambrose Alli University (AAU), with stethoscopes. This honour was in recognition of their exceptional academic performance in the Part I MBBS Professional Examination.

The annual presentation is aimed at recognising and rewarding academic excellence while equipping outstanding medical students with one of the most essential tools of their profession.

Through the initiative, the foundation seeks to encourage excellence, inspire future healthcare professionals, and support the development of Nigeria’s next generation of doctors.

Three executive members (Excos) of the AAU Medical Students’ Association received the stethoscopes on behalf of the award recipients, who were sitting for major examinations at the time of the ceremony.

Speaking on behalf of the delegation, the association’s Director of Finance, Elijah Okorie, described the award as both an honour and a source of motivation.

Receiving the stethoscopes on behalf of the recipients, Okorie expressed appreciation to the foundation for its continued investment in the next generation of Nigerian doctors.

“I want to thank the foundation for this generous donation. Our prayer is that God will continue to bless them and grant them the resources to sustain this initiative.

“We are truly grateful for their commitment to supporting medical students,” he said.

He noted that the foundation has consistently recognised high-performing medical students through the memorial awards, describing the initiative as an incentive that inspires students to strive for academic excellence.

The Head of the Department of Nursing Science, AAU, Mrs. Sarah Iyalomhe, commended the children of the late Dr. Samuel and Prof. Lucy for their unwavering commitment to preserving their parents’ legacy through the annual awards.

“This is not the first time they are awarding medical students of our school,” she said while urging the student beneficiaries to remain committed to academic excellence and to make good use of the high-quality stethoscopes presented to them.

She also noted that the equipment would serve them throughout their medical training and future careers.
Founder of the Emmanuel Osemota Foundation, Dr. Emmanuel Osemota, said the initiative is designed to encourage excellence while preparing future physicians for lives of service.

“We want to continue to inspire these students to give their very best in medical school and, ultimately, in their careers as healthcare professionals,” he said.

The memorial awards were established in honour of the founder’s parents in celebrating their legacy of excellence in healthcare and education while encouraging outstanding medical students to uphold the same values of compassion, dedication and professional excellence.

Through initiatives such as the annual stethoscope presentation, the foundation continues to invest in the development of young medical professionals who will play a vital role in improving healthcare delivery in Nigeria.