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Tag: Gynaecologists

  • Gynaecologists, obstetricians learn new skills in Enugu

    Gynaecologists, obstetricians learn new skills in Enugu

    The venue was Golden Royal Hotel, Enugu. The participants were gynaecologists, obstetricians and other health practitioners. Some passed on new skills, others imbibed hem.

    It was the one-week Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists (RCOG) training workshop entitled “Essential Gynaecology Skills Nigeria Pilot”. It was a programme meant to imbue all the invited health practitioners with the fundamentals of obstetrics and gynaecology in order to help them stave off the scourge of maternal mortality.

    The spate of maternal mortality all over the world has gained global attention and efforts are seriously being made to stem the prevalence of this scourge. Nigeria lost an estimated 2,300 children under the age of five and 145 women of child-bearing age every day, making it the country with the second largest number of maternal and child deaths in the world.

    So, in line with its mission of developing the education and training programme for doctors willing to specialise in obstetrics and gynaecology, the RCOG kick-started a pilot programme in three different centres all over the globe with the training in Enugu covering  the whole of Africa.

    Thanks in no small measure to the Vice-Chancellor of the University of Nigeria and fellow of RCOG, Prof. Benjamin Ozumba, the University of Nigeria’s Department of Obstetrics and Gynaecology were able to jointly run the training which the training with the RCOG.

    The RCOG works to improve women’s health care across the world. Founded in 929, it has over 14,000 members worldwide and works with a range of partners both in the UK and globally to improve the standard of care delivered to women. It also encourages the study of obstetrics and gynaecology and advances the science and practice of obstetrics and gynaecology.

    Speaking on the training, Prof. Ozumba said: “The very essence of this programme is to impact knowledge to physicians who are specialising in obstetrics and gynaecology which is the art and science of looking after mothers and their unborn babies. This is the first time it is coming to Africa.”

    The Vice-Chancellor of the University of Nigeria added that the training would increase access to many Nigerian physicians who want to acquire up-to-date training and gain knowledge but are constrained by transport, money and time.

    He said that the workshop would help to expose Nigeria to the world in terms of attracting international recognition to the positive things being successfully carried out in the country.

    Ozumba went further to advice the participating physicians: “Whatever new skill you may have acquired should not be allowed to dissipate. You should build up on it, improve it, use it to offer care to mothers and their children.”

    Also speaking at the training, the Vice President-Elect of RCOG and consultant obstetrician and gynaecologist at Newcastle, United Kingdom, Mr. Hani Fawzi said the organisation remains “very proud of our relationship with Nigeria.” He said Nigerians in Diaspora formed a liaison group and together they collaborated to bring the workshop down to Enugu.

    Fawzi pointed out that the training is a pilot course that is about to be launched next year.

    Dr. Suzy El-Neil, a consultant gynaecologist at the University College Hospital, London and Chair Global Health Project Development Committee, was also in Enugu to train the participants. Dr. El-Neil said she was working with Mr. Fawzi to develop the course on the essential skills in gynaecology.

    “The way forward for all of us is to improve our knowledge and training of our entire medical and para-medical cartel to sort of improve our knowledge in this area,” Dr. El-Neil said.

    Asked about the essence of the pilot course, she added: “Essentially, it is really to try to help all of us upscale, have better knowledge in the basics of gynaecology and how to prevent major trauma and impact on our female population.

    “The training is something that is very much wanted by people working in the field of global women’s health particularly just to improve the environmental conditions and the medical conditions and medical care processes for women in different settings.”

    The Course Director and consultant obstetrician and gynaecologist in the United Kingdom, Prof. Samson Agwu said the RCOG has enough confidence in Nigeria and that was why Enugu was selected to host the African version of the pilot programme.

    On the aim of the training, he said: “The whole aim is to contribute to the reduction of maternal death from gynaecological causes. We have run a similar programme with the emergency obstetrics and over four year we noticed a drop of death from obstetric child birth problems all over the world especially in under-resourced countries like Nigeria.ý”

    The course director was optimistic that the training would “help us to make an inroad into the reduction of maternal death.”

  • Gynaecologists learn new delivery technique

    Gynaecologists learn new delivery technique

    FIFTEEN obstetrics and gynaecologists (O and Gs) at the Lagos State University Teaching Hospital (LASUTH) have been trained to use a vacuum device known as Kiwi to conduct vaginal delivery of babies.

    An obstetric and gynaecologist based in Ireland, Dr Oluwole Alabi whose company Mufam Advertising Trust Limited recommended the tool, said the device would discourage the rate hospital carry out caesarian section (CS).

    According to him, the device will help to reduce child mortality because it can be used to assist women in labour deliver safely.

    Alabi said the device encompasses all aspects of conventional delivery equipment. Unlike the bogus conventional machine used to induce delivery, it is portable and power-free, he added.

    He said a doctor can single handedly deliver an expectant mother of a baby. “This is not so in the case of conventional delivery machine as many staff are required to operate it,” he said.

    The training, he said, was important without which th mechanism may become problematic to the users and,as such and put expectant mothers and their babies in danger.

    According to him, the device is easy to use and it has about 99 per cent chances of assisting women achieve vaginal delivery without complications.

    This, he said, will prevent or reduce deliveries through caesarian section (CS).

    The Managing Director of the company, Dr Gbenga Salau, said his organisation introduced the product into Nigeria so that expectant mothers do not die needlessly during child birth.

    He said a unit of the device costs about N10,000, adding that  Salau, who is the convener of the training, said the government and private organisation can buy into the programme.

  • Obstetricians, gynaecologists seek attainment of MDGs

    ObstetricIANs and gynaecologists have urged the Federal Government to be more committed to the attainment of the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs).

    Chairman, Society for Gynaecology and Obstetrics of Nigeria (SOGON), Lagos State sector Prof Oluwarotimi Akinola said stakeholders and the government needed to show some commitment to the goals, especially MDGs 3 and 4.

    He spoke at a briefing on SOGON’s 47 Annual General Meeting/Scientific Conference in Lagos. The theme is: “Family planning and development in Nigeria.”

    He said SOGON could help the country to achieve a lot within the remaining two years to the deadline for attaining the MDGs.

    He said one-third of infants die before their fourth birthday, adding that it is partnering with the National Council on Health to carry out the death review of children, a project of the Federation of International Gynaecology and Obstetrics (FIGO).

    “We established voluntary obstetric scheme (VOS) in Lagos State. 87 volunteers were attached to some primary health care (PHC) centres across the state to reduce death of mother and child,” he said.

    He said experts will present papers during the AGM/ conference holding between November 26 and 30 in Lagos. SOGON will mount four symposia. They are on prenatal diagnosis, endoscopy and colposcopy, assisted reproductive health and neonatal resuscitation.

    He said SOGON has adopted the accelerated pathway to achieve MDGs.

    A don at the Department of Obstetrics and Gynaecology, Lagos State College of Medicine (LASUCOM), Prof Adetokunbo Fabamwo said there was need to have data on health care. There are conflicts and problems when talking about data, he added.

    He said physicians are clear in their mind that a lot of women are dying in the rural areas.

    He said since the demise of Prof Olikoye Ransome-Kuti nobody had done anything on the PHCs.

    Fabamwo also said the group has been training nurses in life saving skills, adding that he wasn’t sure if the government owned facilities are doing the same.

  • Gynaecologists seek improved breast screening

    Gynaecologists seek improved breast screening

    To reduce cervical and breast cancer, the Society of Gynaecology and Obstetrics of Nigeria (SOGON) has called on the Federal Government and health care managers to introduce regular cervical screening and breast examinations.

    This was part of the communiqué issued by the group at the end of its 46th Annual Scientific Conference and General Meeting in Abuja.

    Its President, Dr. Fred Achem, said early detection will go a long way in checking the high rate of such cancers.

    He said: “The high incidence and case fatality of cancer of the cervix and of the breast in our society is worrisome. We call on government and health care managers to introduce regular cervical screening and breast examinations to detect these conditions in the pre-cancerous or early cancer stages.”

    Noting that maternity health indices have remained poor, he called on the three tiers of government, non-government organisations and development partners to accelerate action that will revert the trend.

    To reduce the burden of paediatric HIV in Nigeria, the society also suggested that HIV services should be free and compulsory for all expectant mothers.

    He said : “To cater for the large numbers of VVF patients in Nigeria, government should establish more VVF centres and support existing ones to improve their capacity and quality of care rendered to clients.

    “SOGON will work with the federal and state ministries of health to introduce Maternal Death Review (MDR) programme in the country.

    This will ensure all maternal deaths are properly investigated to identify preventable causes and how to prevent recurrence of similar deaths.

    “SOGON will commence Voluntary Obstetricians Scheme (VOS). This will involve voluntary engagement of obstetricians in rural and sub–urban centres,”he said.