When London-born Dr. George Green and his wife Lydia arrived in Ogbomoso from the United states of America on March 18, 1907, they brought Dr. Green’s personal medical instruments, some drugs and fifty dollars. The Foreign Mission Board of the Southern Baptist Convention has provided to begin medical work in Nigeria. The newly-married couple settled into the house Rev. C. E. Smith had built twenty five earlier (near the present Antioch Baptist Church). The next day, a girl about four years old was brought to him because of her crooked legs. Dr Green converted the dining room into an operatin theatre and the dining table into an operating table for the staightening of the girl’s legs. Mrs Green served as the nurse and Rev. S. G. Pimock administered Chloroform as the anaesthsia. In a few weeks, the girl’s running around was proof of the operatiion’s success.

Through this first successful operation the ministry of healing then known as the Baptist Medical Centre bagan now transformed to a Bowen University Teaching Hospital in 2009. Two (2) years later the Greens moved to another house where the ground level served as the hospital while the top floor served as there living quaters, in 1911 the departure of a missionary made a separate house available, but the expansion of the ministry necessitate the addition of thatched sheds on either side of the house to serve as wards for male and female patients.

When the government Rest House and the post office across the road from the hospital were to be relocated, the Baptist Mission applied for the present site of almost forty (40) acres. The young women of the WMU of Virginia, Mrs. Green’s home state provided the first funds for permanent buildings in 1917. A special campaign of the Southern Baptist Convention in 1919 contributed additional funds. In 1921 the Executive Committee of the Baptist Mission approved the plans for proposed buildings. The conerstone was laid in December of that year. Dr E. G. Maclean, a dentist who has moved from Iwo to Ogbomoso to supervise the construction of the buildings for the Baptist College and Seminary, also supervised the beginning of the construction of the new hospital buildings. In 1922, Rev H. P McCormick came to finish the construction.

On July 4, 1923, The Baptist Hospital was dedicated and opened for use. Those mud buildings were used for 36 years until they were torn down for the space to be utilised for the construction of the intial part of the present facility which was dedicated in August 16, 1959. Through the years the hospital has expanded to include other aspects of medical work, such as the training of General Medical Practitioners, nurses and housemen, providing treatment for victims of Hansen’s Disease and tuberculosis, caring for motherless babies and malnourshed children and providing dental care.

Parts of the Body

From the humble beginning in 1907, the healing ministry has grown over the years to include the following constituent parts of the Centre:

• Baptist Hospital, Ogbomoso (1907)
• Baptist School of Nursing, Ogbomoso (1927 and 1981 re-opened)
• Kersey Children’s Home, Ogbomoso (1926, moved to permanent site in 1954 and it was integrated into the Centre in 1988)
• Baptist Health Service, Ogbomoso (1930)
• Baptist Dental Clinic, Ogbomoso (1940)
• Staff Nursery and Primary School (1986)
• School of Midwifery (1993)
• George Green Secondary School (2004)

And theses annexes:

• Baptist Hospital, Iwo, Osun State (1922)
• Baptist Hospital, Ile-Oluji, Ondo State (1987 and fully taken over in 1990)
• Baptist Hospital, Aiyegunle – Gbedde, Kogi State (1989)
• Baptist Health Centre, Ejigbo, Osun State (1991)

The Baptist Medical Centre (BMC) now known as Bowen University Teaching Hospital (BUTH) also has training programmes, for pre-reigistration House Officers and for Doctors undergoing their General Medical Practice Training (Parts I & II)

Apart from these constituent parts and annexes, different departments and services could also be identified.

All these departments work together as a team to complete the tripartite ministry of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ – Preaching, Teaching and Healing, for the glory of God and the blessing of humanity within and without the base in Ogbomoso.

Transformation to Teaching Hospital

The College of Health Sciences was the brain child of the current Vice-Chancellor Professor Timothy A. Olagbemiro. In November 2008 the National Universities Commission(NUC) visited the University to inspect its facilities for the establishment of the College of Health Sciences and subsequently granted approval to run the M.B.B.S, B. Sc Anatomy and B. Sc Physiology programmes a couple of months later. These programmes were designed and anchored on the philosophy of providing a sound and truly professional basis for the training of medical scientists and other health related workers. The philosophy is aimed at developing in students an appreciation and comprehensive knowledge of health and health related problems in the local community through engagement and exposure in outreach community health problems. Moreover, the programmes are to provide an in-depth knowledge base of medicine, clinical skills and aptitude to enable the products engage in intellectual inquiry for solving societal problems in health and health-related fields. The programmes are also geared towards producing medical doctors who will successfully integrate their faith with medical practice and promote Christian ethics in their profession.
The College foundation Provost, Professor Wale Akinsola is a renown nephrologist from Obafemi Awolowo University Teaching Hospital(O.A.U.T.H).He was formerly the Deputy Vice-Chancellor Obafemi Awolowo University(OAU), Chief Medical Director(C.M.D) of O.A.U.T.H, C.M.D, Ladoke Akintola University of Technology (LAUTECH) and Acting Vice-Chancellor LAUTECH. He pioneered the College and invited eminent medical scientists and consultants to assist in the design of the curriculum and take-off of the College. The College started with an initial student intake of thirty-five (35) comprising twenty-two (22) for M.B.B.S, seven (7) for B.Sc Anatomy and six (6) for B.Sc Physiology students who were transferred from the Faculty of Science after duly undergoing a screening exercise in January 17, 2009.
On the expiration of the tenure of Professor Wale Akinsola as the Provost of the College in March, 2009 Professor Olufunso .O Olorunsogo, HOD Biochemistry, formerly Dean of Basic Medical Sciences, Deputy Vice-Chancellor (Administration) and Acting Vice- Chancellor, University of Ibadan became the Acting Provost. He consolidated the achievements of his predecessor and established the College structure through continued staff recruitment. Under his supervision the 100 level students transferred from the Faculty of Science were properly registered into the College at the beginning of the second semester.
Professor Oluwole A. Adebo, a cardiac surgeon and former Dean, Faculty of Clinical Sciences, College of Medicine, University of Ibadan, assumed duty as Provost in October 12, 2009.
Professor J. Bayonle Fakunle was later appointed the foundation Dean of the Faculty of Basic Medical Sciences. Academic activities for the 2009/2010 session commenced in earnest in the Faculty on September 28, 2009 with the full support of the full-time and associate lecturers.
Professor Adebo worked relentlessly until the programme secured accreditation by the Medical and Dental Council of Nigeria in June, 2012. However, following his demise in September 2012, Professor A.O. Soladoye continued to head the College as the Acting Provost. Professor T.A. Adewole was later appointed as the Provost and Chief Medical Director for a period of one year between January 2013 – February 2014. After his tenure, the Management deemed it fit to separate the office of the Provost from the Chief Medical Director which later Professor A.O. Soladoye was made the substantive Provost of the College from 2014 till date while Prof. S.U. Eyesan became the Ag. Chief Medical Director till date.

The College of Health Sciences is located in two campuses viz at Iwo, Osun State and at Ogbomosho, Oyo State (the campus of the College Administration and of the Teaching Hospital)

Location

The College of Health Sciences is located in two campuses viz at Iwo, Osun State and at Ogbomosho, Oyo State (the campus of the College Administration and of the Teaching Hospital)

Programmes

At the inception of the College, academic programmes commenced in three areas, viz

• B. Sc Anatomy
• B. Sc Physiology
• MB, BS

The programmes have been accredited by the National Universities Commission (NUC) and the Medical and Dental Concil of Nigeria (MDCN). The B.Sc. programmes run for 4 years while the MB,BS programme runs for 6 years (from 100 level). Other programmes are likely to be added in future.

Curriculum

The curriculum for the MB, BS programme is unique as it was set out to emphasize vertical and horizontal integrations.

As the College also shares the general motto: Excellence and Godliness, the College is determined to produce graduates who would be academically sound and full of Godly virtues.

Faculties

• Faculty of Basic Medical Sciences (FBMS)
• Faculty of Basic Clinical Science (FBCS)
• Faculty of Clinical Science (FCS)