Family Medicine Department has the privilege of inheriting a rich culture of Family Medicine training at Postgraduate level that started since 1981, when the program of General Medical Practice Postgraduate Training started in Nigeria, the first of its kind in West Africa sub region. It was also the only department with full accreditation by the National Postgraduate Medical College of Nigeria and the West African Postgraduate Medical College from inception of Bowen University Teaching Hospital.
The Department trains clinical students through the first and second years of clinical training (2 block postings, one each at 400 level and 500 level). The Family Medicine Examination will be done at the end of the 500 level. Family Medicine will be taught through organised lectures; clinical exposures in the General Outpatient Department (GOPD), recognised Family Medicine Private hospitals, State Hospitals, Leprosy and Tuberculosis clinics, special lectures in the principles of Family Medicine, Medical ethics and jurisprudence, health care delivery systems, health management and financing etc, some of which are not regular medical teaching topics. These help to provide a broader base of knowledge acquisition for medical systems management and medical treatment for the newly qualified medical doctors.
The training of resident doctors in Family Medicine is already being handled by this Department through training curricula of the relevant Postgraduate Medical Colleges (The National Postgraduate Medical College of Nigeria and the West African College of Physicians) amended to suit local strengths and challenges in BUTH.
The Department runs the Family Medicine Clinics (formerly called the General Out-Patient Department), the Staff Medical Services of the hospital, the NHIS/Managed Care Services and the Global Fund supported HIV Care Services.
The Accident and Emergency (A&E) unit, Intensive and Critical Care Unit (ICU) and Tb & Leprosy control programs supported by the Damien Foundation Belgium, are also run by staff of the department.
At Intervals, we have Dental Consultants who come around as missionaries to the unit.