By SOLA OGUNDIPE
A CALL has gone to tertiary health institutions in the country to encourage the development of occupational therapy as a medical profession by introducing courses and programmes that would enable affiliation with the School of Occupational Therapy, Oshodi, Lagos.

Making the call during the convocation ceremony of the 7th graduating set of students from the School, Medical Director, Psychiatric Hospital, Yaba, Lagos, Dr. Rahman Lawal, advocated for development of the sub-specialty of occupational therapy was not accorded its rightful position.

Lawal, who noted that since its establishment, the School of Occupational Therapy had increased professionalism, however called for the training of more occupational therapists to meet the demand locally and abroad.

His words: “The occupational therapy that was almost in extinction has been revived. There were only three practicing occupational therapists in Nigeria when we began, now there are over 12. We started from less than six students and only one department and yet these are professionals required all over the country, but I make bold to say the foundation has been laid. Our school is going to produce future professors. Many of our students have travelled abroad, while some of them are on the path to becoming lectures in Nigerian universities in the near future.”

Lawal said the institution was not currently running a degree programme because of the requirement for affiliation with a university. “We are still running a diploma because there are rules governing degree programmes. We wanted to be affiliated with the University of Lagos, but the rule is that we can only affiliate with a university that is running the programme.

Currently, the UNILAG is not running the programme, but we have a MOU with some universities abroad as well as a collaboration with the Obafemi Awolowo University, Ile-Ife. We have written to the university Senate and the institution is now admitting our students. Two of them have graduated.