By USMAN ALIYU

The University of Benin Teaching Hospital (UBTH) has become Nigeria’s first NSCC-NBTE/UNESCO Centre of Excellence-accredited National Skills Qualification (NSQ) training provider for Geriatric Social Care.

The Director General of the National Senior Citizens Centre (NSCC), Dr Emem Omokaro, confirmed this on Tuesday in Benin during a visit to UBTH’s Chief Medical Director, Prof. Darlington Obaseki, ahead of the accreditation.

Omokaro said that beyond accreditation, the National Assembly was considering a bill to establish a regulatory framework for Nigeria’s geriatric care sector.

“The regulations will provide a legislative foundation and enforce compliance with a national framework and standards for Geriatric Social Care.

“This initiative is a collaboration between the National Senior Citizens Centre (NSCC), the National Board for Technical Education (NBTE), and Skills Nigeria Limited,” she added.

She further explained that Nigeria’s geriatric social care system was now formalised, standardised, and integrated into the Federal Government’s Public Service work scheme.

In his remarks, Obaseki praised the NSCC’s collaboration with NBTE in formalising the geriatric care sector.

He urged hospitals to prioritise older persons and strengthen workforce capacity in the field.

“Geriatric Social Care extends beyond clinical services. It requires dedicated care and specialised facilities tailored to older persons,” Obaseki said.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that UBTH pursued NSQ accreditation after successfully training and certifying Quality Assurance Assessors (QAA) in geriatric care.

The accredited training centre is housed at UBTH’s Institute of Health Sciences and Technology (NAN)