The Nation Newspaper

Tag: surgeries

  • NGO performs over 1,000 surgeries

    A Non-Governmental Organisation (NGO), “05 Initiative”, yesterday said it had performed more than 1,000 surgeries in the ongoing statewide free medicare programme.

    The founder of the NGO and wife of Delta Governor, Mrs Edith Okowa, disclosed this during the launch free medicare programme in Warri South Local Government Area.

    Mrs Okowa said the organisation was committed to the general well-being of the people and urged them to show love to one and another.

    Also speaking at the occasion, the state Commissioner for Health, Dr Mordi Onoye, said Governor Ifeanyi Okowa, had ordered that Central Hospital, Warri, be connected to the 33 KVA line to address the electricity challenge at the hospital.

    Onoye also said that widows and pregnant women in the state were to enjoy free medical treatment.

    According to him, contracts have been awarded for the construction of hostels at the state School of Nursing, Warri, as well as some health centres in Warri South Local Government Area.’’

    In his address of welcome, the Chairman, Warri South Local Government Area, Mr Michael Tidi, commended the governor’s wife for her foresight toward the well-being of the people.

    Tidi urged other wealthy individuals and organisations in the state to emulate the “05 Initiative” with a view to moving the state forward.

    “05 Initiative is poised to re-define healthcare services in Delta. I urge well-meaning individuals and organisations to emulate the governor’s wife,’’ Tidi said.

    News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that programme that would afford residents of Warri South the opportunity to enjoy screening and treatment of malaria.

    The treatment also covers screening for diabetes, hypertension, Higher Immune Virus (HIV), surgery for cataract as well as de-worming, health talks among others.

     

  • Niger Gov’s wife funds 63 patients’ surgeries

    The wife of the Niger State Governor, Dr. Amina Abubakar Bello has sponsored surgeries on 63 Vesico Vaginal Fistula (VVF) patients across the state. In the same vein, she has also conducted 1, 029 free cervical cancer screenings and 1,145 for breast cancer screenings for women in the rural areas.

    This was contained in a press statement signed by her Press Secretary, Aisha Wakaso highlighting the achievements of the governor’s wife in the past two years.

    Giving the breakdown of the VVF surgeries, the statement said, 19 VVF surgeries were done in Kontagora General Hospital, 30 in Umaru Sanda Ndayako Hospital, 10 in Minna General Hospital adding that the wife of the Governor sponsored four VVF patients who were referred to Katsina fistula Centre where she paid for their treatment, feeding, transport, and other expenses.

    Wakaso stated that for the 1029 Cervical Cancer Screenings, 630 women were screened in Bida in collaboration with PPFN, 208 in Anfani village in Mashegu Local Government during a medical outreach, 50 in Rofia village in Agwara Local Government during a medical outreach, 30 in Gbajibo village in Mokwa Local Government during a medical outreach while 31 women went to the RAiSE Cancer Screening Centre to be screened.

    “There have also been 1,145 breast cancer screenings. 650 women were screened in collaboration with 5th Chucker Polo and country club during the breast cancer awareness month, 304 women were screened during the breast cancer awareness week, 80 during a medical outreach at Anfani village in Mashegu Local Government, 50 during a medical outreach at Rofia in Agwara Local Government, 30 at Gbajibo during a medical outreach while 31 women were screened at the RAiSE Foundation screening centre.”

    She disclosed that out of those screened during the breast cancer awareness week,15 were positive of breast lump, 13 of them were referred for mammography, nine of them needed surgeries but only six out of those who were referred for mammography needed biopsies which Dr. Bello paid for while two who already had advanced cancer were referred to Shika.

    The statement further said that over 1,500 women in rural areas in the state have been empowered  in the past two years adding that, “The Governor’s Wife has also empowered 500 Women with multipurpose crop milling machine in Kuchita, Lavun LGA, Kwagana in Paikoro LGA and Gurara LGA to enable them process their farm produce while another set of 500 Women were trained in Kontagora on how to use agro wastes such as groundnut shell, egusi waste and rice waste to make alternative charcoal for cooking. Others were trained in skill acquisition.”

     

  • FCMB funds eye surgeries in three states

    FCMB funds eye surgeries in three states

    The annual First City Monument Bank (FCMB)’s sponsored free eye screening and cataract surgery programme known as, Priceless Gift of Sight, has commenced in Kebbi, Cross Rivers and Imo states.

    The Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) initiative involves eye screening tests, full ophthalmic medical examination, eye surgeries, provision of free medication, eye glasses and counselling for those suffering from cataract, an eye defect that could lead to blindness if not promptly treated.

    This marks the eight consecutive year the bank is organising this intervention programme in partnership with Tulsi Chanrai Foundation (TCF), a Nigerian-Indian non-profit organisation. Thousands of people across Nigeria have so far benefited from the exercise since it commenced in 2009. This year, the Bank sponsored 500 eye surgeries in Kebbi, Cross Rivers and Imo states, while thousand others underwent the screening for cataract during the programme.

    In 2016, a total number of 2,328 people were screened in Cross Rivers, Katsina and Kebbi states with 400 eye surgeries successfully performed.  The bank has previously carried out the programme in Adamawa, Imo, and Ogun states.

    The bank’s Group Head, Corporate Affairs, Diran Olojo, said, “the importance of sight to the well-being of an individual and the nation cannot be over-emphasised. We are proud to sustain the sponsorship of this initiative with Tulsi Chanrai Foundation because it has continued to positively touch and transform the lives of thousands of people, homes, businesses and indeed, the society”.

    A beneficiary, a 78 year old Jonathan Nwosu of Umuaro autonomous community, Nkwere Local Government of Imo State described the initiative as a service to humanity.

    Another beneficiary of the eye surgery in Kebbi state, Mustafa Muhammed also commended FCMB and TCF for coming to his aid and thousands of others suffering from cataract through the priceless gift of sight initiative.

    Also speaking on the programme, the Chief Operating Officer of Tulsi Chanrai Foundation (TCF), Col Prasad said: “the priceless gift of sight has gone a long way to transform the lives of people, especially the poor and needy who suffer from cataract in Nigeria, but cannot afford the resources to go through tests, medication and surgery.

    There is no gift in the world better than giving sight to the sightless. Our Foundation is grateful to FCMB for its kind and generous support over the years towards the noble cause of eliminating the scourge of avoidable blindness, while also give hope to the hopeless’’.

  • Korea community, LASUTH kicks off free cataract surgeries for 100

    Efforts to reduce visually impaired problems in Lagos State gained a massive support with the kick off of free cataract surgeries for over 100 patients in a partnership between Korean Community and Lagos State University Teaching Hospital LASUTH.

    The Chief Medica Director of LASUTH, Prof. Wale Oke praised representatives of the Korean team when he was paid a courtesy call in his office welcoming them to Lagos and LASUTH particularly after same gesture was extended to Lagosians just last year.

    According to him “I am overwhelmed by your presence and good heart to give sight to patients who have cataract problems in Lagos State. You did over a hundred last year and here u are again all for free. Thank you. We are very greatful”

    The CMD however said LASUTH will be Oliver Twist and will therefore ask for more in the area of training for our doctors to be able to carry out surgeries in highly technical areas on our own while requesting for assistance and free procedures in other areas apart from cataract.

    “We appreciate your support on cataract but we look forward to more in other areas of medicine and i am be ready to sponsor our doctors to understudy your expertise in this area and other areas of medical practice and I wish u will grant my request” Oke appealed.

  • LUTH conducts open heart surgeries

    LUTH conducts open heart surgeries

    •CMD: we plan to operate on 100 patients  yearly

    The Lagos University Teaching Hospital (LUTH), Idi Araba, has conducted open heart surgeries for seven persons with cardiac problems (hole in the heart).

    The hospital said the surgery, which costs N1.7 million per patient, was subsidised by its partners.

    It said Nigerians no longer need to travel abroad to seek treatment for the disease.

    Besides, 10 patients would benefit from the gesture, which is still ongoing.

    The hospital’s Chief Medical Director, Prof. Christopher Bode, assured that open heart surgery will be a routine at LUTH.

    He said: “We want to make open heart surgery regular at LUTH.  By next year, we hope to have achieved 100 cases of successful cardiac surgeries. We call on Nigerians to come and sponsor what we are doing. We want to give Nigerians high class treatment at a low price.

    “Our charges are as low as N1.7 million for this surgery, compared to the millions they spend travelling abroad for treatment, transportation and cost of feeding, among others. We call on all Nigerians to believe in us and what we do.”

    He said the National Health Insurance Scheme (NHIS) sponsored a patient for the surgery because of its belief in LUTH.

    “Moreover, NHIS also donated ventilators to us for the surgery”.

    Bode continued: “This gesture made the cost of treatment cheaper. We will be conducting another open heart surgery in the next 60 days. Now, we are screning some patients who require surgery”.

    NHIS Zonal Director, Mr Awala Ebijuwa, represented by the Head Standard and Quality Assurance, Lagos Zonal Office, Dr. Abraham Bethuel-Kasimu,  said the aim of NHIS was to make health insurance available to the people, thereby mitigating the rising cost of health care.

    LUTH Cardiac Project’s chairman, Prof. Jane Ajuluchukwu said: “The first set of open heart surgery in LUTH was conducted in 2014. We operated on three patients and it was successful. Now we have moved higher to seven patients, making 10 patients in total. We have collaborations at international levels. It is multidisciplinary, so we had about 10 disciplines that came together to make sure this was a success.”

    The Coordinator Cardiac Unit (LUTH), Dr. Olugbenga Olusoji, said: “In the past Nigerians never had access to cardiac surgical services but LUTH acquired the expertise and machineries to make this possible. We hope that that in the next one year, LUTH will be known for cardiac surgeries and will become a referral centre.”

    On how to prevent hole in the heart, Consultant pediatrician, Dr. Ekanem Ekure said: “Expectant mothers or women in child bearing age should take folic acid regularly. This will help to prevent some birth defects. There is no clear cause of hole in the heart but there are some factors that can trigger it. They include genetics like diseases passed from mother to child. Babies with Down syndrome are prone to hole in the heart. Rubella is a viral sickness caused by rubella virus. It looks like measles or rashes. Some expectant mothers think having rubella is not a sickness but it is actually a sickness which must be treated or else it may cause hole in the heart and deafness for the baby”.

    Ekure continued: “Babies may have hole in the heart if their mothers are diabetic. Smoking and alcohol during pregnancy may trigger hole in the heart”.

    Speaking to a beneficiary, a mother whose baby was diagnosed with hole in the heart at 18 months old, Mrs Dayo Owolabi, from Ikorodu, thanked LUTH for successful surgery on her son.

    She said: “It was not easy raising money for treatment of three-year-old son, Damilola.

  • LUTH conducts open heart surgeries

    LUTH conducts open heart surgeries

    •CMD: we plan to operate on 100 patients  yearly

    The Lagos University Teaching Hospital (LUTH), Idi Araba, has conducted open heart surgeries for seven persons with cardiac problems (hole in the heart).

    The hospital said the surgery, which costs N1.7 million per patient, was subsidised by its partners.

    It said Nigerians no longer need to travel abroad to seek treatment for the disease.

    Besides, 10 patients would benefit from the gesture, which is still ongoing.

    The hospital’s Chief Medical Director, Prof. Christopher Bode, assured that open heart surgery will be a routine at LUTH.

    He said: “We want to make open heart surgery regular at LUTH.  By next year, we hope to have achieved 100 cases of successful cardiac surgeries. We call on Nigerians to come and sponsor what we are doing. We want to give Nigerians high class treatment at a low price.

    “Our charges are as low as N1.7 million for this surgery, compared to the millions they spend travelling abroad for treatment, transportation and cost of feeding, among others. We call on all Nigerians to believe in us and what we do.”

    He said the National Health Insurance Scheme (NHIS) sponsored a patient for the surgery because of its belief in LUTH.

    “Moreover, NHIS also donated ventilators to us for the surgery”.

    Bode continued: “This gesture made the cost of treatment cheaper. We will be conducting another open heart surgery in the next 60 days. Now, we are screning some patients who require surgery”.

    NHIS Zonal Director, Mr Awala Ebijuwa, represented by the Head Standard and Quality Assurance, Lagos Zonal Office, Dr. Abraham Bethuel-Kasimu,  said the aim of NHIS was to make health insurance available to the people, thereby mitigating the rising cost of health care.

    LUTH Cardiac Project’s chairman, Prof. Jane Ajuluchukwu said: “The first set of open heart surgery in LUTH was conducted in 2014. We operated on three patients and it was successful. Now we have moved higher to seven patients, making 10 patients in total. We have collaborations at international levels. It is multidisciplinary, so we had about 10 disciplines that came together to make sure this was a success.”

    The Coordinator Cardiac Unit (LUTH), Dr. Olugbenga Olusoji said: “In the past Nigerians never had access to cardiac surgical services but LUTH acquired the expertise and machineries to make this possible. We hope that that in the next one year, LUTH will be known for cardiac surgeries and will become a referral centre.”

    On how to prevent hole in the heart, Consultant pediatrician, Dr. Ekanem Ekure said: “Expectant mothers or women in child bearing age should take folic acid regularly. This will help to prevent some birth defects. There is no clear cause of hole in the heart but there are some factors that can trigger it. They include genetics like diseases passed from mother to child. Babies with Down syndrome are prone to hole in the heart. Rubella is a viral sickness caused by rubella virus. It looks like measles or rashes. Some expectant mothers think having rubella is not a sickness but it is actually a sickness which must be treated or else it may cause hole in the heart and deafness for the baby”.

    Ekure continued: “Babies may have hole in the heart if their mothers are diabetic. Smoking and alcohol during pregnancy may trigger hole in the heart”.

    Speaking to a beneficiary, a mother whose baby was diagnosed with hole in the heart at 18 months old, Mrs Dayo Owolabi, from Ikorodu, thanked LUTH for successful surgery on her son.

    She said: “It was not easy raising money for treatment of three-year-old son, Damilola.

  • Nigerian-Turkish Hospital to begin open heart surgeries in Abuja

    Nigerian-Turkish Hospital to begin open heart surgeries in Abuja

    The Nigerian Turkish Nizamiye Hospital is set to begin heart valve replacement and open heart surgery in Abuja.

    A statement by the hospital at the weekend said: “The Nigerian Turkish Nizamiye Hospital decided to commence this service after a careful analysis of the spate of heart diseases prevalent in the Federal Capital Territory Abuja,” it added that “the focus would be coronary artery bypass grafting as well as heart valve replacement

    “The hospital has put in place all the required equipment and a team of experts from Turkey with a track record of excellence.

    “The five-man team is led by Dr Mustafa Kirman, a reputable cardiovascular surgeon from Turkey who is credited to have performed over 15, 000 heart surgeries with 99 per cent success rate”

    The statement, signed by hospital spokesman Mohammed Abubakar said the hospital in its tradition of delivering quality services spared no cost in the composition of the team.

    Deputy Medical Director, Dr Atilla Emiroglu, said the open heart surgery procedure being introduced is the first of its kind in Abuja. “Our surgeons are resident in Abuja and work here fulltime at the hospital.

    “With what we have in place, there is absolutely no need for patients to travel abroad for treatment of whatever illness”

    Dr Kirman, the leader of the five-man delegation, said since coming to Nigeria, he had noticed that many people are suffering from high blood pressure and diabetes and “these are some of the causes of cardiology problems”.

  • 200 surgeries at Orthopaedic Hospital Enugu

    200 surgeries at Orthopaedic Hospital Enugu

    More than 200 hip and joint surgeries have been carried out at the National Orthopaedic Hospital Enugu (NOHE) since 2008, Chief Medical Director Dr. Cajethan Nwadinigwe has said.

    Nwadinigwe, who was briefing journalists on the activities of the hospital, expressed delight that with the effort of the medical team, such surgeries have become a routine.

    He explained that arthritis is the failure of a joint, adding that any joint in the body could be affected, but more commonly the weight bearing joints like the knees and hips.

    He said there are different types of arthritis, namely: osteoarthritis, rheumatoid arthritis, gout arthritis and septic arthritis, among others.

    He said, “Osteoarthritis is the more common type of arthritis which can be primary or secondary. Treatment options include drug therapy, physical therapy and load reduction. Surgery is indicated where conservative measures fail, or late presenters with badly damaged joints. Surgical options include realignment osteotomy, arthroplasty and arthrodesis”.

    He stated that Arthroplasty, otherwise known as total joint replacement is an operation in which a diseased joint is replaced with prosthesis to relieve pain and improve function and has been ongoing at the National Orthopaedic Hospital Enugu (NOHE) since 2008.

    “The hospital has an arthroplasty team which carries out total hip replacement and total knee replacement surgeries on patients who have end stage arthritis unresponsive to conservative management; the native surfaces of hips and knees which are diseased are removed and replaced with prosthesis,” explained the surgeon.

    The benefits of hip joint and replacement include; pain relief, improvement in function, ýdecreased intake of drugs and so less complications from non steroidal anti inflammatory drugs, and improved quality of life, he remarked.

    He continued: “The peculiarity of the cases that present in our hospital is the complexity of the hips and knees; patients in our environment wait until they are almost bedridden before seeking help from the hospital. As such the cartilages and ligaments are badly degenerated with presence of bone defects and joint deformities. These make for a complex primary knee or hip. This becomes a challenge to the Surgeon and, the physiotherapist who rehabilitates the patients.

    “Total joint replacement is commonly performed on the elderly group of patients which is the group that presents more with Osteoarthritis. Increasingly though, the younger age groups are presenting for arthroplasty surgery particularly following mismanaged injury to these joints. Of note to the public is the importance of presenting early to the hospital following joint pains or joint trauma for early and proper management of the condition. Patients are however, advised to take the advantage of the availability of arthroplasty services in our environment and reduce the recent trends of medical tourism in our country.

  • Lagos sponsors knee replacement surgeries

    Lagos sponsors knee replacement surgeries

    •Women walk again after 10 years

    Two women, who have been down with arthritis, can now walk again, following total knee replacement surgeries at the Lagos University Teaching Hospital (LASUTH), Ikeja.

    For almost a decade, Mrs. Rafat Arowolo and Mrs. Rafat Oyelakin could not afford the surgeries, which cost about a million naira each, until the Lagos State Government came to their rescue through its Limb Deformity programme, which assists people with limb deformities.

    The surgeries were done by a 10-man team of health workers, led by Dr. Ladipo Adewole, a Consultant Orthopaedic Surgeon.

    Mrs. Arowolo, a 60-year-old petty trader, was all smiles as she took her first steps with crutches after a long time. Before the surgery, she could not walk because of pains in her left knee.

    She had “progressively worsening deformity of the knee”, otherwise called bow leg and knee instability. She had sought treatment in many hospitals without improvement.

    Mrs. Oyelakin (52) had “progressively worsening deformity of the right knee”, otherwise called k-leg, and could not walk.

    Her husband, Yisa Oyelakin, a staff of the hospital, told the hospital’s management about his wife’s condition and she was enrolled as an out patient.

    She was treated for three years, but did not respond to medications and physiotherapy.

    Mrs. Oyelakin was told that she needed a total knee replacement surgery, but she could not afford it.

    Both beneficiaries and their relatives are grateful to the Lagos State government.

    Speaking with reporters yesterday at the hospital on why the government took up the women’s cases, the Commissioner for Health, Dr. Jide Idris, said: “The government thought it wise to discourage people from taking our resources abroad for surgeries that can be done in the country. By starting this exercise, we will build local capacity for surgical procedures like this.

    “It is also an avenue to train resident doctors aspiring to become certified specialists as well as nurses and physiotherapists, who will be responsible for patients’ nursing and rehabilitation management.

    “This way, surgeons, nurses and physiotherapists get to manage such cases frequently and become more proficient. Also, Lagosians who cannot afford this treatment will be the ultimate beneficiaries.”

    Idris said because the 12 knee replacement surgeries that had been done since the inception of the programme were inadequate for training, provisions have been made for a fixed number of free knee and hip surgeries monthly.

    He said: “Through this effort, the government will be saving a lot of funds that would have gone to India and other places abroad, aside caring for its people, building human capacity and developing enduring physical and institutional infrastructure.”

    Idris said the beneficiaries were considered because they had severe osteoarthritis of the knees, a condition characterised by worn-out cartilage at the end of the bones that form a joint.

    During the surgery, the worn-out cartilage and some bones are removed and replaced with prostheses.

    The commissioner said: “The surgical procedures were carried out using INDUS total knee implants made in India. An Indian surgeon, Prof. Nagare, was in attendance to demonstrate the peculiarities of insertion of that particular implant to LASUTH surgeons, exchange personal experiences and give them a few tips and tricks.

    “The surgeries resulted in the patients being able to walk again without pain and deformity. Both patients had uneventful post-operative periods and were discharged one week after surgery.”