Neurosurgeons Urge Improved Facilities At Hospital

A 3– day International conference by neurosurgeons has ended in Enugu, the capital city of Enugu state with a call on the Federal Government to inject more funds for the upgrading of facilities at neurosurgical units in hospitals in all  the states across country.

Participants contended that with improved budgetary allocations to the sector, the neurosurgical workforce could be developed while the units would be equipped with the state-of the- art surgical machines to discourage patients from travelling abroad for overseas treatment.

Delivering a Keynote address shortly after declaring the conference open at the Golden Royal hotel, Enugu, at the weekend, the founding president of the African Federation of Neurosurgical Societies, Prof Sam Ohaegbulam, regretted that 40 years after the birth of neurosurgery in the Eastern part of the country, most of the Teaching hospitals in the zone, were still faced with several challenges, arising from dearth of equipment to inadequate manpower.

He maintained that for neurosurgical practice to flourish in Nigeria, hospital administrators must be massively encouraged to  not only train future neurosurgeons but also be well funded to enable them assist neurosurgical trainees to attend international conferences and training workshops as well as spend some time in other neurosurgical centres abroad.

Prof Ohaegbulam, who is the founder and Chief Medical Director of the famous Memfys Hospital for Neurosurgery, Enugu, a centre of excellence for brain and spine Surgery, also re-emphasised the urgent need for government to give financial support to the educational efforts of Memfys Hospital, as the only fully accredited Neurosurgical training hospital in the former  Eastern region for fulfilling an important societal health care need of the people of the area.

Also speaking, Chairman of the Local Organising Committee for the event, Dr. Wilfred Mezue, disclosed that the conference which was held for the first time in the Eastern part of the country, was jointly organised by Memfys International Hospital for Neurosurgery Enugu, the Nigerian Academy of Neurological Surgeons and the University of Nigeria Teaching Hospital, Enugu.

The occasion, he went on, provided a common platform for the practitioners to exchange ideas with a view to enhancing their performance and sharpening their skills in modern brain and spine surgery.

Dr. Mezue, therefore, congratulated the Board of Directors of Memfys Hospital for Neurosurgery Enugu for the massive support given to the conference, especially for the successful hosting of “Hands-on Cadaver Dissection Spine Course” on Day 1 of the conference.

Earlier, the president of the Nigerian Academy of Neurological Surgeons, (NANS), Prof Surajudeen Arigbabu, had said that the central theme of the conference “Contemporary Spine Management was very appropriate, as it draws attention to the high incidence of spine lesions among Nigerians.

He pointed out that there was glaring need for expert management of these spinal lesions, even as Nigerians have desperately increased their search for help in places like India, Europe and South Africa.

ProfessorArigbabu noted with joy that with the improvement and availability of neuro–imaging facilities like C.T. Scan and MRI, diagnosis had  now made easier for neurosurgeons to handle spine conditions which hitherto were no go areas in the country.

The participants, drawn from Germany, USA, parts of African countries including Nigeria, also prayed God to bless Nigeria’s next generation of medical practitioners with such a medical icon like Prof. Sam Ohaegbulam, who he said has made immense contributions to neurosurgical practice and learning in Nigeria and  the African continent in general.

It would be recalled that the hosting of the world medical summit was indeed another major contribution of the Memfys International Hospital For Neurosurgery Enugu, to the growth of medical education in Nigeria as well as to the development of primary health care for the people.