Akin Abayomi

LAGOS- In a remarkable display of medical expertise and teamwork, the Orile-Agege General Hospital, Lagos, has successfully performed a complex life-saving surgery on a patient with a severe liver injury.

The Lagos State Commissioner for Health, Prof. Akin Abayomi, made the disclosure in a statement by Tunbosun Ogunbanwo, Director, Public Affairs at the ministry on Thursday.

Abayomi commended the team for their ingenuity in performing an intricate liver repair using advanced surgical techniques, including the innovative use of surgical packing and omental mobilisation to stabilise the liver.

“The patient, 33-year-old, Mr Wasiu Abatan, suffered a grade three traumatic liver injury following a road traffic accident.

“He was diagnosed with a 10 cm longitudinal and 5 cm deep laceration on the right lobe of his liver, along with a contusion of the hepatic parenchyma.

“The injury was classified under the American Association for Surgery of Trauma (AAST) as a severe case, typically associated with high mortality rates.

“Despite the odds, the team at Orile-Agege General Hospital not only saved his life but ensured his full recovery,” Abayomi said.

The commissioner highlighted the importance of recognising medical successes, noting that while healthcare challenges are often publicised, the efforts of dedicated professionals must also be celebrated.

Abayomi reflected on the resilience of the state’s healthcare system, acknowledging the challenges of brain drain, high patient loads, and resource constraints.

He stressed that in spite of the hurdles, the ability of local hospitals to execute complex surgical procedures successfully is a testament to the state’s commitment to quality healthcare.

Similarly, Dr Kemi Ogunyemi, Special Adviser to the Governor on Health, commended the emergency preparedness and strong leadership at Orile-Agege General Hospital.

Ogunyemi noted that the hospital’s management’s proactive approach in equipping and training its team ensured their readiness to handle critical emergencies, such as Abatan’s case.

“This achievement reinforces the need for continued investment in healthcare infrastructure and capacity development.

“Emergency preparedness should be a top priority for all medical institutions because we never know when the next life-threatening case will arrive,” she said.

The Medical Director of Orile-Agege General Hospital, Dr Sola Pitan, said the hospital’s emergency response system was activated upon learning about the patient’s condition.

According to him, preparedness played a key role in the swift 45-minute response time from arrival to the commencement of surgery.

“Upon arrival, Mr Abatan was in severe painful distress, with altered sensorium and abdominal guarding, indicating internal bleeding.

“Immediate laboratory and radiological investigations confirmed peritoneal fluid collection, necessitating an emergency exploratory laparotomy,” Pitan said.

Highlighting the complexity of the surgical intervention, Dr Daniel Kehinde, a Consultant General Surgeon, emphasised that liver injuries of this magnitude are difficult to repair due to the organ’s delicate structure.

Kehinde explained that his team evacuated over 300ml of accumulated blood, controlled haemorrhaging, and used innovative techniques to stabilise the damaged liver tissue.

“We mobilised the omentum from the transverse colon, carefully wrapping it around the liver injury site to aid healing.

“This technique, combined with meticulous suturing of the liver capsule, prevented further bleeding and allowed the liver to regenerate,” Kehinde said.

He said following the surgery, the patient was closely monitored in the High Dependency Unit (HDU) for seven days, receiving post-operative care including blood transfusions, intravenous infusions, and strict fluid management.

“After another five days in the general ward, he was discharged 12 days post-operation, marking a successful recovery,” he said.

Speaking, Abatan and his mother, expressed their profound gratitude to the hospital’s medical team and the state government for prioritising public healthcare development.

“I was in so much pain, and some hospitals turned me away. I thought I was going to die. But the doctors and nurses here fought for my life, and today, I am standing here. I will forever be grateful,” Abatan said.

A Commendation Letter signed by the State Commissioner for Health was presented to the medical team for their collaborative effort and exceptional dedication in ensuring the success of the surgical intervention. (NAN)

LAGOS- The Lagos State Commissioner for Health, Prof. Akin Abayomi, says the state government will designate one of its general hospitals as a centre for ophthalmic specialty to improve care for patients with eye conditions.

Abayomi said this during the 4th Annual General Meeting and Scientific Conference of the Africa Retina Society on Thursday in Lagos.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the event was themed, “Upscaling Retinal Services in a Resource-Constrained Economy.”

Abayomi said the centre would provide a world-class diagnostic, medical, surgical and ophthalmic services in Lagos and Nigeria.

He stressed that the state would prioritise eye health, noting that the state was working on developing screening capacity of all its primary healthcare facilities to detect eye diseases early.

“The conditions that affect the eyes very much reflect the conditions of the community in which you live. HIV, for example, was a major problem in South Africa, and I certainly experienced the impact of HIV on our day-to-day medicine and practice.

“Here in Nigeria, we have other things. We have hypertension, diabetes, sickle cell, and lots of trauma. These are the kinds of things that we see in our clinics here in Lagos and in Nigeria.

“We need to be able to understand how these prevailing conditions really affect us,” he said.

The commissioner further said that efforts are ongoing to promote eye screening, especially in schools, starting with the training of teachers to detect students exhibiting challenges with their vision.

He added that the state would leverage the social health insurance to screen, detect and treat eye diseases as patients presents at health facilities.

The commissioner further said the state would strengthen public awareness and understanding on eye health, especially glaucoma and visual acuity.

Abayomi disclosed that the state through its Ministry of Health had forged a partnership with the Chagoury Group
to develop a specialist eye hospital in Lagos to boost access to eye services.

He acknowledged that ophthalmology was equipment-intensive, stressing that government would pay attention to that and human resources to enable practitioners make appropriate diagnosis, and treatment to reverse medical tourism.

Earlier, Prof. Linda Visser, Head, Division of Ophthalmology Stellenbosch University, South Africa, called on policy makers to formulate policies that would integrate eye screening into diabetes care from the primary healthcare level, noting that cases of diabetic retinopathy was on the increase among Africans.

Diabetic retinopathy (DR) is a chronic progressive disease of the retinal capillaries (small blood vessels) associated with prolonged raised blood glucose levels in people with diabetes.

Visser cited data from International Diabetes Foundation that showed that 537 million adults aged 20 to 79 years are living with diabetes globally, a number that was predicted to reach 1.3 billion in 50 years.

“The high prevalence of type 2 diabetes continues to rise worldwide and is particularly rapid in low- and middle income countries.

“Most of these countries have limited availability and affordability of healthcare services for screening and treating diabetes-related complications, such as retinopathy, to prevent vision loss,”

According to her, all persons with diabetes are at risk of developing DR, however, those with poor blood glucose and blood pressure management and hyperlipidaemia are most at risk.

Visser, Past President, Vitreoretinal Society of South Africa, emphasised that early detection would lead to timely treatment of DR, which could prevent 95 per cent of vision impairment and blindness.

Also, Dr Asiwome Seneadza, Chairman, Africa Retina Society, said that the theme was timely and critical as efforts are made to navigate the complexities and challenges in delivering advanced retinal care across the continent.

Seneadza said, “That’s why we are advocating for improved diabetes care and regular retinal screening made available and accessible for every individual living with diabetes,” he said.

Similarly, Prof. Bassey Fiebai, Chairman, Vitreo Retinal Society of Nigeria, said the meeting was critical to proffering solutions to the challenge of offering standard retina care, improving outcomes and reducing visual loss from retina related disorders among low to medium income countries.

Fiebai said that the government plays a critical role in providing funding, training of personnel, provision of equipment to improve screening, detection and treatment of retinopathy disease.

The professor noted that retina specialists are few in Nigeria, placing the figure at about 100, stressing that it was inadequate to cater to the teeming population who require eye care.

“Right now in the country, we have just a little over 100 retina specialists. And we know that the population of Nigeria is about 230 million.

“So we’re looking at a situation in which one retina specialist is supposed to cater for 2.3 million people. How does anyone cope?” she queried.

NAN reports that the Annual General Meeting and Scientific Conference of the Africa Retina Society which began on June 26 to June 28, had participants from various African countries brainstorm on enhancing retinal care. (NAN)