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  • LUTH as metaphor

    LUTH as metaphor

    • ‘Japa’: FG must address the issue of ward shutdowns in our hospitals

    Lagos University Teaching Hospital (LUTH), Idi-Araba, Lagos, is Nigeria’s premier health training institution. So, the news that it has shut down five wards with 150 beds should worry any Nigerian. It is enough to make the House of Representatives Committee on Health raise the alarm on the dangers of ‘Japa’ syndrome to our healthcare.

    Chairman of the committee, Dr Amos Magaji, who made the disclosure during an oversight visit to the hospital decried the situation and asked the Federal Government to do something about it.

    If this report in the ‘Vanguard’ of November 29 was demoralising, more devastating was that in ‘The Guardian’ of the next day, headlined: “More teaching hospitals risk shutdown over exodus of medical professionals”. This time it was the president of Nigerian Association of Resident Doctors (NARD), Dr. Dele Abdullahi, who raised the alarm. 

    But it would seem ‘Japa’ is only one of the most serious challenges facing our hospitals. It seems there are other issues to contend with, going by the allegation by the Pharmaceutical Society of Nigeria (PSN) that chief executive officers of some federal hospitals divert drug funds. This much was contained in a communique issued after the 96th annual national conference of the PSN titled “Jewel City 2023”.

    “The conference called for the probe of corruption against some of the CEOs of the FHIs, whom empirical data confirms indulge in the procurement of drugs through their proxies, in addition to diverting drug revolving funds accruable to identifiable bank accounts that are not official accounts in their institutions”.

    This is weighty. Indeed, but for the fact that the allegation is coming from the PSN, we would have dismissed it as one of those fairy tales just to smear the reputation of the chief executives. It sounds incredible that people who have spent years in practice before attaining the position of chief executive officers would be involved in such a shameful practice. Diversion of drug funds, apart from being a crime, also runs counter to the Hippocratic oath taken by doctors that they will not engage in acts that can harm or hurt patients; and that they will live an exemplary personal and professional life.

    We agree with the pharmacists that the government should investigate this allegation. It is unimaginable that even the little efforts of government to get drugs to the needy are being sabotaged by people who should be in the vanguard of their wellbeing, and those found guilty should be prosecuted.

    But, amidst this seemingly gloomy scenario is the good news that the  Medical and Dental Council of Nigeria 

    Read Also: Don seeks nullification of LUTH CMD’s appointment

    (MDCN) has struck a deal with the Federal Government on how to tame the ‘Japa’ syndrome. MDCN is the body that regulates the practice of medicine, dentistry and alternative medicine in Nigeria.

    “We are trying our best. That is why we are collaborating with the present ministers so that we can actually increase the number of doctors and other healthcare workers we train,” MDCN’s Registrar, Dr. Tajudeen Sanusi, said.

    And this without lowering standards. This would be a good idea. But we are not sure the MDCN’s assumption about having more doctors that would stay after increasing the number of those to train will always hold. 

    According to him, “We have observed that if you trained 10 before, out of the number, four or five will try to go out and you are left with five. If you now train 20, possibly seven or eight will go out and then you have about 12 remaining, it will improve the healthcare delivery system in the country.” 

    But, this is only a postulation based on current experience. It may not always be so. That is why the Federal Government should deal holistically with the situation. What is needed is an improvement in the salary and condition of service of the doctors and other health workers, as well as provision of  state-of-the-art facilities in our hospitals, at least for a start, in the so-called centres of excellence.

  • Don seeks nullification of LUTH CMD’s appointment

    Don seeks nullification of LUTH CMD’s appointment

    A professor in the College of Medicine, University of Lagos and a honorary consultant in the Lagos University Teaching Hospital (LUTH), Prof. Olufemi Fasanmade, has sued the President, the Minister of Health and Social welfare, Prof. Muhammad Ali Pate and three others at the National Industrial Court (NIC), Lagos over the appointment of Prof. Wasiu Lanre Adeyemo as the Chief Medical Director of LUTH.

    Joined in the suit are LUTH  Management Board, the Attorney General of the Federation, Lateef Fagbemi (SAN) and Adeyemo.

    In an originating summons in the suit marked NICN/LA/261/2023, Fasanmade prayed the court to set aside the appointment of Adeyemo.

    He wants the court to declare that the Chairman and members of LUTH Management Board,  having been appointed and inaugurated in March 2018 for a term of four years, could not have validly appointed Adeyemo as an Acting Chief Medical Director in LUTH on March 27,2023, contrary to LUTH (reconstitution of board ETC) Act.

    He also wants the court to declare that the recommendation of the 5th defendant (Adeyemo) by the 2nd defendant (Minister of Health) for appointment as CMD of LUTH based on the report of the interview panel and LUTH management board is illegal, irregular, invalid and contrary to the University Teaching Hospital (reconstitution of board ETC) Act.

    Read Also: Presidency tackles Atiku over claim on court verdicts

    Fasanmade is also asking the court to declare that neither the 2nd defendant (Minister of Health ) nor the 3rd defendant (LUTH management board) has any role whatsoever to play in the appointment of the CMD of LUTH.

    He stated that the Management Board through its secretary and Director of Administration issued the public advertisement on November 22, 2022 inviting interested candidates to contest for the position, while the Minister through officials of his ministry conducted elaborate exercises including screening, interviews, grading and even made recommendation for appointment contrary to the university teaching hospital (reconstitution of board ETC) Act.

  • LUTH: Beyond Michael’s controversy

    LUTH: Beyond Michael’s controversy

    Even without the clarification from the management of Lagos University Teaching Hospital LUTH, claims that a resident doctor with the facility, Umoh Michael died after working 72 hours non-stop, would appear demonstrably inconceivable.

    Not only is it humanly impossible for anybody to work for that number of hours without stop, such a practice in a teaching hospital strikes as a very remote possibility. Yet, that such a narrative made the rounds last week courtesy of a letter addressed to the Chief Medical Director of LUTH by its branch of resident doctors suggests all is not well with the working conditions of those doctors.

    In the letter triggered off by the death of Michael after slumping at a church service, the resident doctors stated: “We the house officers are in deep grief over the loss of our colleague, a co-house officer (Dr. Umoh Michael), who died on September 17, 2023 after having a 72-hour call in the Neurosurgery unit”

    The letter further claimed that his roommate attested to the fact that Umoh barely slept in their apartment over the past one week as he was always on call or the day he came home, he returned around 3am. The resident doctors then chronicled other challenges they face such as bullying from senior colleagues, stressful call hours without break in-between, no call food and poor accommodation. 

    Read Also: LUTH denies late doctor worked 72-hour call duty

    The unfortunate incident has expectedly drawn the ire of the public. The thought of a promising young medical officer dying in the circumstance painted has evoked emotions. This is especially so, given a recent related incident a young female medical doctor lost her life due to elevator failure in a general hospital in the state.

    But the management of LUTH did not allow this narrative to gain undeserved ground. Even as it would not want to be drawn into unnecessary controversy in deference to the deceased family, it said the story of a 72-hour non-stop shift is false.

    According to the management, “the record from the neurosurgical unit shows that the last time he was on call was 13th and Septemeber14, 2023. He was not on call on the 15th, 16th and 17th (the day he died), contrary to the insinuation on social media. He was at home with his parents on September 16 and 17”.

    Before this time; the management went on, he was also on call on September 7 and 8. This shows that Michael was on call for four days in September 2023, LUTH said emphatically. With the explanation, it would appear pretty difficult to sustain the picture painted by the resident doctors on the circumstances of his death.

    It is also possible the account of the number of times he slept at the resident doctors’ quarters as allegedly furnished by his roommate did not factor in the fact that he has a family house in Lagos.  With this disclosure, it is possible the account of the days he did not sleep at the quarters did not capture the number of days he opted to stay with his family.

    But that is beside the issue. As unfortunate as the death of the young and promising doctor is, the issues it threw up should not be completely waved aside. Those that crafted the story of a 72-hour non-stop shift may have exaggerated the situation. But they may be indirectly drawing attention to the difficult conditions house officers do their work.

    And this should not be surprising to anyone. Not with the recurring decimal of strike actions by resident doctors. One of such strikes was just suspended last month. Central to their grievances were the release of the circular for ‘one-for-one replacement of clinical staff’ and the payment of the 2023 Medical Residency Training Fund.

    National President of the Nigerian Association of Resident Doctors NARD, Dr. Emeka Orji had justified the demands during the strike on the ground of acute shortage of doctors in the hospitals leading to the overworking of the few remaining ones. This should be instructive. Definitely LUTH is not exempted from the picture painted by the NARD president. It is probable the death of Michael just provoked the sad feelings nursed by the doctors on their difficult working conditions.

    This angle is quite potent. It is evident from the other grievances in the letter the resident doctors sent to the management of LUTH. It is clear from the general exodus of doctors and allied medical staff to foreign lands leading to acute shortages. The fact is that some of these grievances are not peculiar to LUTH even as it has a fair share of it. They are an integral part of the agitations for which the NARD has been engaging the federal government, sometimes resulting to strike actions.

    Ironically however, the past regime in this country lived in denial of the shortage of doctors in our hospitals. Two former ministers-health and labour, Prof. Osagie Enahire and Dr. Chris Ngige had on two different occasions respectively denied there was shortage of doctors in our hospitals.

    Enahire had while admitting they have heard of doctors leaving the system claimed there are actually enough doctors in the country. According to him, Nigeria produces between 2000 to 3000 doctors yearly while the number leaving is less than 1000. Then also, the National President of the Nigerian Medical Association NMA, Dr. Uche Ojinmah had faulted the claim of enough doctors for running contrary to available statistics.

    At other times the shortage had been rationalized by government officials on tardiness in the recruitment process. Ironically, as they bandy these excuses, our hospitals suffer acute shortage of medical doctors and allied personnel. The World Health Organization WHO puts the doctors’-patient ratio at one doctor to 600 patients.

    The same WHO had also pronounced that Nigeria and 54 other countries face the most pressing health workforce challenges related to universal health coverage. How the arguments canvassed by Enahire and Ngige conform to this ratio, is anybody’s guess. But one thing that is not in doubt is that Nigeria is confronted by dire manpower shortages in the health sector.

    Our doctors especially the experienced ones are leaving in droves to foreign lands where they are offered better salaries and congenial working conditions. Not only are we losing our experienced doctors and allied personnel to the advanced countries of the world, African countries have miserably joined in the poaching spree.

    That was the sad story told by the chairman of the committee of Chief Medical Directors of Federal Tertiary Hospitals, Prof Emem Bassey when he appeared before the House of Representatives ad hoc committee investigating employment racketeering in federal agencies. He lamented that countries like Sierra Leone and Gambia are offering them up to $3,000 and $4,000 which is about four times the amount paid locally.

    Additionally, recent data obtained from the Medical and Dental Council of Nigeria. MDCN showed that 53 Nigerian doctors are practicing in Sudan, 41 in South Africa, 17 in Egypt and Ghana respectively. Uganda employs 13 Nigerian doctors while there are seven others working in the Gambia among other African countries.

    The register of the General Medical Council of the United Kingdom puts the number of Nigeria-trained doctors practicing in that country at 11,872. Ordinarily, there would have been nothing untoward about this if the leadership of this country had admitted the reality and taken steps to ensure there are enough medical personnel to attend to the needs of the citizenry.

     But they rather chose to live in its denial resulting to shortages that stretch the capacities of the few remaining ones. That was the sad irony presented by the LUTH situation which found immediate ventilation after the unfortunate death of Michael.  

     The excruciating economic conditions worsened by the depreciation of the local currency have even made matters worse. The controversy LUTH was embroiled in, though unfortunate, may not be unconnected with the general difficult conditions of work in our hospitals. It may not be the fault of the management of that institution. The federal government that has been slow on replacing departing staff shares much of the blame.

    Michael may not have died as a result of work overload. But the lesson served by his death should not be lost. The working conditions of doctors and allied staff should be improved upon else we will have self-fulfilling prophesy to contend with. Addressing the issues that prompted the controversy should serve as a befitting tribute to Michael. May his soul rest in peace!

  • LUTH denies late doctor worked 72-hour call duty

    LUTH denies late doctor worked 72-hour call duty

    The management of the Lagos University Teaching Hospital, Idi-Araba, has denied allegations that one of its house officers, Dr Michael Umoh, died after a 72-hour call.

    This is contained in a statement issued by LUTH management team in Lagos on Thursday.

    “LUTH management understands the fact that the family of Dr Umoh is presently mourning the death of their beloved son and requested the foreclosure of any media engagement regarding the death of their son. It is important for us as a management to make clarifications regarding the circumstances surrounding his death.

    “Dr Umoh died on Sept 17 while in church with his parents. The management was informed, and the death was later confirmed by one of the Consultants in his unit (Neurosurgery).

    “The death of Dr Umoh is unfortunate but the narrative of a 72 hours non-stop shift is false.

    “The record from Neurosurgery unit shows that the last time he was on call was 13th and 14th September, 2023.

    Read Also: Shun ‘japa’ syndrome, LUTH CMD advises young doctors

    “He was not on call on the 15th, 16th and 17th (the day he died), contrary to the insinuations on social media. He was at home with his parents on Sept. 16 and Sept. 17,” the management said.

    Prior to this time, the management said, he was on call on the Sept. 7 and Sept. 8.

    ”This shows that Dr Umoh was on call for a total number of four days in September, 2023.

    “A delegation from LUTH visited the family on Wednesday to commiserate with the family and to get more details of the circumstances surrounding his death.

    “The parents gave the details of what they thought must have contributed to his death but pleaded that the wish of the family be respected and that the narrative is not for public consumption,” it said.

    The management described Dr Umoh as a hardworking and diligent house-officer, and a very promising young man.

    It said he will be sorely missed by his friends and colleagues.

    “May his soul rest in peace, and may the Almighty give the family the fortitude to bear the irreparable loss” LUTH said.(NAN)

  • CMD: we’re restoring LUTH’s glory

    Lagos University Teaching Hospital (LUTH) Chief Medical Director (CMD) Prof. Chris Bode has just been appointed for a second term in office. He spoke with some reporters on his experience in the past four years, and his determination to improve the 57-year-old institution. ADEKUNLE YUSUF was there.

    Past challenges

     

    When I came on board four years ago, the system was suffering. The greatest challenge was lack of confidence in the system, both among the workers and the people who come here. Our various clients stopped believing in the system. Now, with the co-operation and collaboration of others, that narrative has changed. It’s humbling to know that the same environment that was so hostile has gradually embraced change. We had stormy relationships, stormy reception from the trainees, from workers group, but I guess through appealing to their good side and showing by example from the leadership of the institution in the past four years, the situation has improved appreciably.

    We have been able to change the mindset so that all workers at LUTH now appreciate what we were established to do – render services to people. That is what matters; any other thing will be excuse; people are not interested in that. No matter what you do, if you do it very well, people will come to you and if you don’t they would go elsewhere. So we don’t want them to go elsewhere for many reasons because even our own livelihood depends on it and the mandate given to us would be a failed mandate if we don’t fulfill it.

     

    Re-positioning LUTH

     

    There has been enormous support in the last four years from top management team, the nurses, the head of nurses and all heads of departments; they have been marvelous as they embraced the experiment. The change we tried to implement has yielded very good results, with all modesty. We must give thanks to the Federal Ministry of Health; the minister (Prof Isaac Adewole) and his team, they have really risen to the challenge, done very well for us and also the workers in LUTH have been marvelous. I must say that our people know good things when they see it. I think that is what has been driving us. When you do something good and people see it, they comment. But we know that we need to do more.

    The entire workforce, all are eager to reflect the new order. The changes are manifest. For instance, our dental school that was disaccredited last year because we didn’t have dented chairs has now been re-certified. Through joint efforts between the university, alumni and management, we have been able to put LUTH back on the path to its former glory. Good things are happening, that’s my message and we must do more. The greatest enemy of progress is to be complacent; there is no resting here. We must commend the management board led by Alhaji Isa Sali Bello and his team for astutely leading the hospital at this time; we have been able to accomplish a lot.

     

    Noticeable changes

     

    Of great importance has been that there is calm in the system now. I recall there was a year we didn’t work for eight months; our salaries were paid by government. At another time, we went on strike for five months. All that had to stop. The healthcare sector cannot afford such disruption. So we had to start whittling that down with support from members of the public, members of our staff and even government. With time, government started listening to what the agitations were and government was fulfilling them, promising and fulfilling; coupled with delivering on low hanging deliverables, intermediate term and long term plans. All these have now started bearing fruitful results and I like to add that it has really brought LUTH to the fore again.

    A lot has been done during the past four years. We now have reliable power supply through our gas fired electricity; we now have a very good blood bank; good water supply; our wards are beginning to be rehabilitated and other facilities as well, including the acute stroke care center. We are repositioning our radiology department. We are putting up a new structure for the care of over 8,000 HIV patients and our advanced facility center has been up and running and is doing very well. Workers are going through further training and we have crowned it with the $11 million NSIA-LUTH cancer center, which President Muhammadu Buhari commissioned in February.

     

    Looking ahead

     

    A lot more needs to be done, looking ahead. The reward for hard work is more work. Because our facilities are aged, they have been there for 57 years now, we need to rehabilitate, complete rehabilitation of our wards, our out-patients department and many other structures. The out-patients facility is inadequate; we want to build an extension so that patients can be seen more promptly rather than being given long appointments. We are going to do the same thing for our operation theatre facilities and other facilities that need to be upgraded and expanded.

    We are having the Lions Club International partnership. We are appealing to all like-minded bodies to assist LUTH. Late Chief Isaac Olusola Dada, who was the district governor of the club, promised to build a renal dialysis center for us before he passed away suddenly. It is going to cost more than N200 million. It will have 36 dialysis machines and will be one of the largest in the country for modern renal dialysis. The Lions Club and the family of Chief Dada will build and furnish it on a PPP basis. Experts in dialysis, institutions that supply equipment and consumables can just come and use it; we will make the services affordable to ensure that Nigerians come here rather than go abroad.

    We are still going cap in hand. Already, we have immense support from the Sovereign Wealth Fund; they have promised to sustain the cancer centre so it will be a modern cancer center that would render services and give meaningful returns to investors. It will serve as a beacon for public-private collaboration in health care delivery. If they don’t see us as valuable, they won’t bring their money to tie down.

    We are planning a hospital-wide information management system to reduce the paper work, improve efficiency and reduce the stress faced by patients. Another plan is to expand operation theatres, intensive care unit and eye treatment unit. The ultimate goal is to make LUTH a comprehensive and reliable hospital in one structure so that we don’t refer any patient. We want to achieve 100 per cent proficiency. If LUTH refers somebody to any other place, it’s like telling them to go and die because we ought to have everything. Even if our accident and emergency ward is full, I would rather you move patients straight to the ward and begin emergency care at the ward rather than tell them there’s no bed. We would do all what we can to increase bed space. Even while doing this, we must appeal to all Nigerians, services in LUTH are highly subsidized between 30 and 80 per cent. Depending on the services, for an average operation, you may pay a million naira outside. Here you might pay just N200,000.

     

    Appealing for more support

     

    We are a government institution, but we must agree that services are not free. We need to review the concept of healthcare financing so that there will be universal coverage. There should be a safety net provided by the national institutional scheme for those who may easily fall through the cracks. The elderly, children, pregnant women and accident victims should be taken care of under a solid health insurance scheme. Public health institutions must continue to treat patients that are not able to pay and we cannot reject anybody brought as an emergency. We found out that such obligations are a big drain on the finance of tertiary institutions, not only at LUTH; it happens everywhere. May be because this is a large hospital, we feel it a lot.

     

  • UNILAG medical students seek more security

    Students of the University of Lagos have urged the government and the varsity’s management to beef up security at the Lagos University Teaching Hospital (LUTH), Idi-Araba, which shares premises with the varsity’s College of Medicine.

    They made the call during a march they held at the weekend to protest the death of a fresh graduate of the college, Dr Stephen Urueye, who was attacked by hoodlums in front of LUTH gate, a day after his graduation. He did not survive the injuries. Over 800 students took part in the procession.

    The late Urueye, a graduate of Medicine, had taken part in the institution’s 51st Convocation last Wednesday and by Thursday, he was dead.

    CAMPUSLIFE learnt that Urueye was robbed and stabbed between 9pm and 9:45pm around Canal/Sickle Cell Foundation, close to the LUTH main gate.

    Angered by his death, about 800  of his colleagues held a candlelight procession for him last weekend.

    The protesters, led by his former course mates, who belonged to a group known as Syncytium ’17  marched from LUTH, through Surulere to the Baale’s palace. They then cut through Ojuelegba to Area C Command Police Station chanting #JusticeforStephen as they progressed.

    A  protester, described the mashing as a peaceful march and a fallout from the Twitter campaign against the brazen killing of their colleague.

    At the Area C Police Command,  an officer urged the students to take their complaint to the Area D Police Command under which jurisdiction the incident occured. The matter was eventually reported there.

     

    How he was attacked

    A close friend of the late Urueye, popularly known as Sembels, relived the deceased’s ordeal in the hands of his assailants. He also spoke of the interventions to save Urueye’s life.

    Sembels, who was in LUTH  that fateful day, said the late Urueye was attacked by hoodlums in front of the Sickle Cell Foundation.

    Sembels said: “They shouted at him: ‘Bring your phone!’ ‘Bring your phone!!’ But, he was not with his phones.

    “Suddenly, one of them stabbed him on his right thigh near the hips; another one stabbed him from behind at his lumbar region.

    “He fell and bled profusely. He got up and ran towards LUTH gate, and fell again, this time into the flood in front of the hospital gate.

    “Unfortunately, it rained on that day and the level of the flood had  increased. Stephen struggled to stand, but he fell again.

    “As Stephen was still battling for his dear life, some of the security men at the LUTH gate allegedly looked the other way,  taking him for drunk.

    An eyewitness, who does not want to be named, said: “The security men at the gate did not take him serious.They thought he was  drunk. They ignored him.”

    Read also: Long years pay off for UNILAG workers

    CAMPUSLIFE gathered that the late Urueye was robbed alongside his friend whose phones were also collected. His friend, who reportedly escaped unhurt, later ran back to where he lay almost breathless.

    Bleeding profusely, the late Urueye was taken to LUTH Accident and Emergency Unit, where he was given some pints of blood.

    His colleagues said he lost so much blood and sustained various cuts, adding that doctors immediately stitched his femoral artery.

    “After conducting that session, Stephen went into a coma. He was resuscitated and admitted at the Intensive Care Unit (ICU). He suffered two cardiac arrests and died in the early hours of Friday, after the second cardiac arrest,’’ one of his colleagues told our correspondent.

    It was gathered that the hoodlums also invaded the medical hostel and robbed some students of their valuables.

    Urueye’s death  has again brought to the fore, the safety of medical students at LUTH and its environs.

    The students have repeatedly lamented the insecurity at Itire, describing the Idi-Araba axis as unsafe.

    Although the late Urueye was the first to die from such attacks, past survivors recall their ordeal.

    According to them, such incidents are rampant. They noted that they were lucky to have escaped.

    “This is the hideout of hoodlums,” said another student who pleaded anonymity.

    “They lurk around by the street lights and blockage of the narrow paths. It could have been anyone and we do not want a reoccurrence.”

     

    Previous attacks

    In March 2015, hoodlums attacked students in the LUTH Workers Mosque, a stone throw from the LUTH main gate.

    A victim, who identified himself as Semiu, narrated his ordeal: “We were reading in preparation for the exam at the workers’ mosque in LUTH, some of us were awake while others were asleep.

    “It was in the middle of the night. I was deeply asleep. All of a sudden, I heard disturbing sound of people panicking.  As I attempted to stand up, one of the criminals with a knife, attempted to stab me. Luckily, I stood up and ran away with others.

    ‘’Then, I remembered that I was charging a Samsung Galaxy tab at the mosque. I returned to the scene, only to discover that they had left with some of our items.

    “Although we made attempts to ambush them, annoyingly they ran through the police office close to the LUTH Idi-Araba gate,” he said.

    “Immediately, some of us went to the security checkpoint at the LUTH gate to inform the security personnel. They slapped one of us and ordered him to kneel down. But, we quickly intervened, informing them that the person being asked to kneel down was indeed a victim. It was on hearing this that they released him.

    “Disturbed by this incident, we locked the LUTH gates the following day. Some senior officers in the hospital pleaded with us to stop the protest. We actually suspended the demonstration on the condition that our stolen items would be replaced. They promised but never fulfilled it.”

    To stop the incessants attacks, the students are asking the police command to set up a Rapid Response Squad in the area, especially around the canal.

    Another female student, who did not want her name mentioned, praised UNILAG management for  deploying Close Circuit Camera (CCTC)  in its Akoka campus, urging it to extend the gesture to the Idi-Araba campus, especially the Canal/Sickle Cell Foundation area.

  • Doctor’s death: Five more suspects arrested

    Five more persons have been arrested by the police over the killing of a doctor at the Lagos University Teaching Hospital (LUTH), Idi-Araba, last Friday.

    A  House Officer at LUTH, Dr. Stephen Urueye was stabbed to death a day after his convocation.

    Urueye was among the students who graduated at the 50th convocation of the University of Lagos (UNILAG) last Wednesday.

    Police spokesman Bala Elkana, a Deputy Superintendent (DSP), told The Nation last night that five more suspects had been arrested.

    This brings to seven the suspects arrested in connection with the doctor’s death.

    Read also: OUTRAGE AS HOODLUMS KILL LUTH DOCTOR 24 HOURS AFTER GRADUATION

    Urueye, it was learnt, received alert of his first salary as house officer the day he was stabbed by the robbers.

    He was stabbed in front of the Sickle Cell Centre, near the teaching hospital’s gate, Idi-Araba, Mushin by robbers.

    With blood gushing out from his thigh, he ran into the LUTH compound where he was taken to the Accident and Emergency Centre (A&E).

    He was later transferred to the Intensive Care Unit (ICU).

    There, his fellow house officers and senior doctors battled all through the night to save him, but he died around 3:43am.

  • LUTH becomes regional centre for oral surgery

    The Lagos University Teaching Hospital (LUTH) has gained the status of a regional centre for oral maxillofacial surgery and treatment of cleft palates and lips, especially in new born babies. The President/CEO of Smile Train Global, Ms. Sussane Schafer, who visited the teaching hospital on Tuesday, said the organisation would partner with LUTH to provide eighth-month post-fellowship training for facial surgeons across West Africa.

    Oral and maxillofacial surgery specialises in the treatment of injuries and defects in the head, neck, face, jaws and the hard and soft tissues of the oral and maxillofacial region. The congenital conditions can be corrected through surgery and special treatment by experts.

    Prof. (Mrs)  Olugbemiga Ogunlewe, oral maxillofacial surgeon at LUTH, said many children with congenital abnormalities are not treated for various reasons, especially because they cannot access treatment. “Often because of   stigmatisation, they are kept in the house or some of them are killed in the rural communities because they don’t know where to go for treatment,” she noted.

    The oral maxillofacial specialist disclosed that the hospital presently handles no fewer than 700 patients for this specialised treatment yearly. “Before now, we were treating just about 10 or less than 10 patients in a year. But since the partnership with Smile Africa in 2007, we have been able to treat close to 700 patients yearly,” she said.

    The hospital, she added, has received assistance in form of training, treatment and management of cleft palates, speech care therapy and dietary counseling. Schafer said that the scheme was founded in the United States in 1999 to provide care on sustainable basis for cleft programmes and to take care of children who were affected by it around the world. “We are focused on safe and quality surgery for cleft, building capacity and strengthening health system and contributing to global surgery results around the world and training local professionals, including surgeons, nurses, dentists and speech therapists,” she explained.

    The Medical Director, LUTH, Prof Chris Bode, praised the philanthropic spirit of the scheme which he said has given hope to many indigent families. He said the two-decade old programme, which berthed in Nigeria in 2007, has become very impactful both in providing treatment for patients and giving requisite skills to care givers. “At LUTH, we are resolute in providing care to every patient who comes here. That is why we welcome all forms of partnership, local and international, to enable us discharge our mandate even in the face of scarce resources and growing population,” Prof. Bode said.

  • LUTH, LIONS partner for N200m Olusola Dada Dialysis Centre   

    The Lagos University Teaching Hospital (LUTH) and Lions Club International are collaborating to ensure the N200m Isaac Olusola Dada Dialysis Centre becomes a reality.

    In a well attended foundation laying ceremony of the multimillion naira medical complex at LUTH Idi Araba, Chief Medical Director (CMD) of LUTH, Prof. Chris Bode, said the hospital board is backing fully the Lions Club International in honour of the departed member of the club and past District Governor, District 4041A, Lion Isaac Olusola Dada.

    The CMD who also represented the Minster of Health, Prof. Isaac Adewole, thanked the family of the late Dada, the Lions Club and everyone that contributed to making the ceremony possible.

    “We are gathered today to honour the goodness of one man, whose clarion call is reaching us from the paradise where he is now. His loss was a big tragedy to us, his family and the community as a country.”

    When the centre is built, he noted that it would benefit over 20 million persons.  ”There are over 20 million people in Lagos State alone and that means we need more dialysis centres where people, who are critically ill with kidney diseases, can go and readily get care. With the great plan that we have seen on ground for this centre, this has come as a great benefit to, not just LUTH, but to the whole of Lagos and Nigeria.”

    Commenting on the project, the US-based Chairman of Lions Club International Foundation, Dr. Naresh Aggarwal, expressed his pleasure over the commencement of the building of the health facility in honour of Dada.

    Wife of Dada, Lion Chief Omolola Dada, described her late husband as one who “was always driven by the desire to make the world better than he met it.

     

     

     

  • Discharged from LUTH, Baba Suwe seeks further treatment abroad

    Comedian Babatunde Omidina aka Baba Suwe who was critically ill and on admission at the University of Lagos Teach Hospital, LUTH, has been discharged.

    The news was revealed by actor Yomi Fabiyi through an Instagram post. He also said that Baba Suwe would proceed for further treatment abroad.

    “Veteran Actor and Comedian Babatunde Omidina a.k.a Baba Suwe has been discharged from LUTH after intense medical treatment,” he wrote on Saturday.

    “I can confirm to you that efforts to quickly stabilize and/or completely treat him to full wellness by medical experts at the Lagos University Teaching Hospital (LUTH) at the instance of Minister of Health are yielding positive results as Baba Suwe can now walk without the stick, less pain and he is getting better.

    “If further theraphy are administered and medications adhered to, he will come out completely of the major ailments.

    “He will however proceed abroad very soon to further his treatment,” he wrote.

    He also revealed that signed letters of appreciation were on the way to all the benefactors of the embattled actor.

    Part of his treatment was facilitated by the Theatre Arts and Motion Pictures Association of Nigeria (TAMPAN) with the assistance of the Federal Ministry of Health.