Re: How we lost a good man to Nigeria’s terrible Healthcare System
PRESS RELEASE
The attention of the Management of Lagos University Teaching Hospital has been drawn to a viral news on the death of Mr. Olaleye Franklin Adenibuyan published online on 16th February 2024.
The Hospital commiserates with the family of Late Mr. Adenibuyan on his death and we extend our condolences to his family on the loss of their father, and husband. However, as a responsible Management, there is a need to respond to some of the issues raised by the writer of the article, while bearing in mind the need to protect the privacy/confidentiality of the deceased.
Late Mr. Adenibuyan was admitted deeply unconscious into our facility on the 15th of January 2024. He was promptly attended to at the Emergency Department of LUTH and stabilized by a team of Neurologists and Neurosurgeons. He was thereafter transferred to the Intensive Care Unit (ICU) of the Hospital for critical care as he was deeply unconscious. In the ICU, his care was coordinated by a team of Neurosurgeons, Intensivists and ICU Nurses. Throughout his stay in the Hospital, the managing team was in direct and constant contact with Mr. Adenibuyan’s immediate family, including his wife and son. Our records reveal that he was given prompt, appropriate and professional care for his condition by senior medical professionals.
It is not uncommon for hospital equipment to experience downtime, and LUTH has backup arrangements for when such downtimes occur. In situations when a hospital equipment experiences downtime, the Hospital policy is for an ambulance, and appropriate healthcare professionals to be made available to take the patient to a sister facility for the required procedure to be carried out. This was clearly communicated to Mr. Adenibuyan’s family when he needed a repeat CT scan. For the records, LUTH has functional imaging facilities including, MRI, Xray, ultrasonography, fluoroscopy and mammography machines.
Deployment of equipment such as the intracranial pressure (ICP) monitor requires consumables such as probes. Such consumables are supplied by private vendors and the costs borne by the patient for which they are used. It is these consumables that were required to be made available in this case. The decision on timing of deployment of the ICP monitor was taken by the Neurosurgeons, with due consideration given to the potential benefits of ICP monitoring versus the potential risks that may arise from placing a foreign body within the brain. Ultimately, a decision to intervene surgically was taken, and, while preparations for this were ongoing, the patient suffered a cardiac arrest from which he could not be successfully resuscitated.
The establishment of a Cardiac Center at LUTH aligns with the government's mandate, as shared by the Honorable Minister.
In the same vein, the involvement of the National Medical College further solidifies the commitment to advancing Healthcare Services.
Prof. Adeyemo revealed that Cardiac Care topped LUTH's infrastructure priorities, leading to the Hospital's proactive plans and engagement in the collaborative effort.
Contrary to the impression given in the publication, The Lagos University Teaching Hospital remains a pride to the country. It has undergone a renaissance, rather than a rot in recent years and continues to improve its services to the public. LUTH is a publicly funded tertiary healthcare facility and the Federal Government of Nigeria (FGN) has committed to repositioning the Nigerian health sector for improved service delivery to Nigerians. For the avoidance of doubt, the FGN has allocated significant resources to revamping the health sector in the last 4 years, and the present government under the leadership of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, GCFR is committed to doing same. LUTH has greatly benefitted from these funds, and has used it judiciously in upgrading our infrastructure and equipment. We remain the only public tertiary health institution with 24-hour electricity supply since 2017, made possible through an Independent Power project (IPP) approved by the Federal Government.
The multi-million-naira NSIA-LUTH Cancer Centre is the single largest Cancer Centre in West Africa, and has provided care to over 10,000 patients since 2019 when it was commissioned, thereby saving the country millions in foreign exchange that would have been expended on medical tourism. The Centre has 3 Linear Accelerators, a CT Simulator, Brachytherapy machine, and a Chemotherapy suite (containing 14 Chemotherapy chairs). LUTH is now a go-to Hospital for Cancer Management in West Africa and is even attracting clients from abroad.
The 30-bed ICU where the deceased was admitted was funded and commissioned recently by the Federal Government and is the largest such facility in Nigeria. A 32-bed Dialysis Centre, with state-of-the-art machines has been in use for the past 2 years in LUTH. Several of the inpatient wards of the hospital, that were constructed about 60 years ago have been renovated and are currently in use. Other wards are currently undergoing renovations through budgetary provision by the FGN.
The Federal government recently provided funds to the hospital to replace surgical instrument in all surgical specialties. These instruments have not been replaced for a very long time.
The Federal government has also made funds available to LUTH to upgrade endoscopic surgical services in Paediatric Surgery, General Surgery, Urology and Gastroenterology. Endoscopic procedures otherwise not possible a few years ago, are now being carried out in LUTH. Other hospitals now refer patients who require video-bronchoscopy to LUTH. Just last week, LUTH became the first public tertiary hospital in Nigeria, to perform Thoracoscopic Primary Repair of Oesophageal Atresia with Tracheosophageal Fistula.
Our Laboratories: Haematology, Medical microbiology and clinical pathology have also benefitted from infrastructural renewals enabled by the FGN.
Kids Operating Room (KidsOR), a global health charity focused on bringing equitable access to safe surgery for all children, and Smile Train (a US-based NGO), supported LUTH with a grant of over $500,000 for the renovation, furnishing and equipping of two state-of-the-art (pediatric) operating theatres. These theatres are dedicated to surgical procedures in children. The theatres are up and running. A 4-Storey, 60-bed capacity ward complex, the Alima Atta Oncology Wards (AAOW), was recently donated to LUTH by Mrs. Iyabo Atta. This facility is the single largest cancer ward in Nigeria and is fully equipped. The AAOW is presently available for the admission of patients needing care for cancer.
Recently, the Federal Government also provided LUTH with funds to upgrade our Labour Ward, Labour Ward Theatres, and Neonatal Unit (NNU). These facilities consist of 3-fully equipped operating suites, 1-fully equipped endoscopic theatre, 12-fully equipped delivery suites, 2-fully equipped high dependency units (HDU), 10-functional incubators and 13-phototherapy machines. The facility was recently commissioned and has been put to use. About a week ago, the FGN also approved immediate upgrade of health infrastructure across Nigeria. As part of this upgrade, a Nuclear Medicine Centre will be established, making available SPECT-Scan, PET-Scan, Cyclotron and Radio-Pharmacy in LUTH. This commendable effort will complement the existing state-of-the-art NSIA-LUTH Cancer Center that has been in operational since February 2019.
Efforts are ongoing to establish a Cardiac Catheterization Laboratory at LUTH in 2024. This is an effort being driven by the Federal Ministry of Health and Social Welfare under the able leadership of Prof. Muhammed Ali Pate and Dr Tunji Alausa. Furthermore, a Stem Cell Transplantation Centre has been established at LUTH with a state-of-the-art Stem Cell Laboratory. Plans are at an advanced stage to carry out the first set of bone marrow transplant procedures at the centre, on patients with sickle cell anaemia this year.
In line with the FGN’s efforts at continued infrastructural renewal in LUTH, a new Outpatient Clinics Complex with 256 consulting rooms is currently under construction. When complete, this complex will be fully equipped with state-of-the-art facilities. In addition, a 4-storey Geriatrics Centre for the care of the elderly, and another 3-Storey Dermatology and Rheumatology Centre of Excellence, funded by the FGN are currently under construction at the hospital. A 3-Storey DOT Centre, dedicated to the care of patients living with tuberculosis and funded by the FGN is also nearing completion.
These are exciting times for the healthcare sector in Nigeria, and LUTH is poised to continue to partner with public and private institutions to achieve the laudable goals for which it was established in 1962.
The Management of LUTH wishes to assure the general public of our commitment and dedication to continue to provide qualitative and affordable healthcare to Nigerians. We are committed to the policies and programmes of the Federal Government of Nigeria and our parent Ministry (Ministry of Health and Social Welfare) targeted at reviving and upgrading the healthcare sector.
Thank you.
Dr. Ayodeji A. Oluwole
Chairman Medical Advisory Committee
Lagos University Teaching Hospital