The Chief Medical Director, Lagos State University Teaching Hospital, Prof. Wasiu Adeyemo, has disclosed that the Federal Government is planning to building a Nuclear Medicine Centre at the tertiary hospital for comprehensive cancer care.
Prof. Adeyemo made this disclosure during a chat with newsmen to mark his one year in office, adding that his administration is working with the Federal Government and the Ministry of Health and Social Welfare to achieve the 4-point agenda of President Bola Tinubu to provide quality healthcare delivery in the country to end ‘japa’ syndrome.
Noting that efforts are ongoing by the Federal Government and the ministry to address the challenge of mass exodus of health practitioners from the country, the CMD bemoaned the menace of doctors exiting the country to find ‘greener pasture’ in other countries.
He assured that the government is committed to ensuring that doctors are well motivated.
“Basically, when we talk about the reason people leave the country, you will mention poor hospital equipment and remuneration. But in the last one year, the government has been spending a lot of money to put in infrastructure and they have constituted a committee to address other issues bedeviling our health system,” he said.
Adeyemo stated that salary increment was a central solution to tackle the menace of Japa syndrome, assuring that the government is working on that.
While commenting on his achievements in the last one year as the Chief Administrator of LUTH, Adeyemo said, “the last one year has been very eventful and successful. On the assumption of office, I was faced with 3 major tasks; completion of projects by the last administration, pursuing my own vision for the hospital and lastly pursuing the vision of the President and the Federal Ministry of Social Welfare, which I have been able to successfully undertake.
“The Federal Ministry of Health and Social Welfare developed a four-point agenda to drive the objective of President Bola Tinubu in the health sector.
“This agenda includes, improving quality of governance and leadership of hospitals, regulatory capacity and agencies under the ministry, improving population health, promoting medical industrialization and improving health security and invention in public health and my administration will ensure that we bring this to reality.”
The CMD equally said that the NSIA-LUTH Cancer Centre commissioned by the last administration is the single largest Cancer Centre in West Africa and has provided care to over 11,000 patients since 2019 when it was commissioned, thereby saving the country millions in foreign exchange that would have been expended on medical tourism.
He disclosed that LUTH is now a go-to Hospital for Cancer Management in West Africa and is even attracting clients from abroad.
“For comprehensive cancer care, the Federal Government has also committed to building a Nuclear Medicine Centre at LUTH of which the MOU was signed last Friday at the Ministry of Health and Social Welfare, noting that “this is a multi-billion Naira project that will make available PET Scan, Cyclotron and radio-pharmacy to complement the already existing cancer management facilities at LUTH.”
“The FG has also made funds available to the hospital 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,” Adeyemo said.
The CMD also explained that efforts are ongoing to establish a Cardiac Catheterization Laboratory at LUTH in 2024, among many other infrastructures noted that the effort was driven by the Federal Ministry of Health and Social Welfare under the leadership of Prof. Muhammed Ali Pate and Dr Tunji Alausa.
He lauded the staff and unions of the hospital for their cooperation in piloting the affairs of the hospital, promising commitment and dedication to continue to provide qualitative and affordable healthcare to Nigerians.
The President, Association of Resident Doctors, Dotun Adesyakan lauded the CMD for his deliberate attempt in improving the welfare of doctors.
“We can see that he is very deliberate in trying to tackle some of the problems that have burdened the health sector for a very long time. We are happy and we hope to continue to have this direction,” he said.
