Tag: miracle

•Successful brain surgery is proof that, with necessary facilities, our doctors can do it

NIGERIAN  medical doctors practicing in the country have over the years demonstrated on several occasions that they rank among the best in the world and can effectively meet the health needs of the citizenry if only they had appropriate facilities, motivation and working environment. Thus, despite the much lamented dearth of up to date equipment and demoralising job conditions, several medical feats such as open heart surgeries, kidney transplant and separation of conjoined twins have been successfully performed by Nigerian medical specialists right here at home.

These outstanding accomplishments have been mostly performed in our foremost health institutions including the Lagos State Teaching Hospital (LUTH), University College Hospital (UCH), Ibadan, University of Nigeria Teaching Hospital (UNTH), Nsukka and the Obafemi Awolowo University Teaching Hospital (OAUTH), Ile-Ife, all in the southern part of the country.

The news that five Nigerian neurosurgeons from Kano last week successfully performed the first brain surgery in the state within 48 hours is thus a landmark in the evolution of healthcare in Nigeria. It shows that there are indeed qualified health manpower across the country capable of carrying out delicate and sophisticated health procedures that wealthy Nigerians normally travel abroad to undergo if only they have the requisite equipment.

This feat was achieved at the Muhammadu Buhari Specialist Hospital, Giginyu, Kano, and the team of five surgeons who performed the operation comprised of the consultant, Dr. Shuaibu Dambatta, Dr Atiku, Dr Musa, Dr Hassan and Dr Musbahu, all from Kano. The patient, Ali Iliyasu, hails from Dala Local Government in Kano State. Speaking on his condition, he said “I had been suffering from this problem for the past 26 years, when I had an accident. Since that time, my brain was not the same again. I and my family suffered a lot by going from one place to another, in search of effective medical attention and intervention to no avail. The last place we went gave me an appointment of 11 months after which a surgery would be conducted on me”.

The lead surgeon in the operation, Dr Dambatta spoke on the success of the operation stressing that “we were contacted within the shortest period of time and we accepted to conduct the surgery. As you can see, the patient is talking to you now in less than 24 hours after the surgery; you know it is a successful exercise. He goes to rest room on his feet, just within 24 hours after the surgery. We all thank Allah for this all-important breakthrough in this specialist hospital”.

This breakthrough underscores, once again, the need for government to invest in critical infrastructure for the delivery of social services to the people, which is the reason for the existence of the state in the first place. In this regard, it is noteworthy that the specialist hospital where the procedure was performed was constructed by the administration of Governor Abdullahi Umar Ganduje. During the commissioning of the facility by President Muhammadu Buhari, Ganduje had announced that it would not be run solely by government but through a Public-Private-Partnership (PPP) arrangement and in accordance with global best practices.

The state government’s adherence to that promise apparently contributed significantly to the success of the brain surgery. In the words of Dr. Dambatta, “This development became possible through the good process followed by the state government in making the management of the hospital to be under PPP, which helps in no small measure to have the state-of-the art medical equipment that made the dream a reality”.

What can be described as a Kano medical miracle demonstrates once again that with adequate investment in health care, Nigeria cannot only substantially stem the outflow of foreign exchange by those seeking medical care abroad, the country can become itself a major destination for medical tourism, with positive economic benefits.

We congratulate the surgeons and supporting staff of the specialist hospital as well as the state government on this major achievement.