*Counters `japa syndrome’ with 518 new recruits
The Ahmadu Bello University Teaching University (ABUTH) Zaria is set to commence kidney transplant surgeries in 2025 towards bringing relief to patients with kidney failure and reversing medical tourism.
Prof. Ahmed Umdagas, Chief Medical Director of the hospital, made this known in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) on Sunday in Zaria.
Umdagas said the Urology Centre of Excellence would be ready by the first quarter of 2025 to offer high quality urology services.
“By the first quarter of 2025, ABUTH would commence kidney transplant, what was just holding us was a few infrastructure.
“Beside that, most of the machines and equipment for kidney transplant were available and our personnel have been adequately trained to offer the services,’’ he said.
Umdagas added that aside from the urology centre, there would also be an Amenity Wing that can take any class of patients.
According to him, the amenity wing will have a single-bed room, a room and parlour for the affluent patients; stressing that ABUTH was determined to offer global-best services.
Umdagas said, “The amenity wing would have a dedicated line and a website; the website will have the profile of doctors in the hospital.
“When a patient wants to see a certain professor or specialist what he will just do is to make a call on the dedicated line or the website to see him seamlessly.”
Similarly, the CMD said a contract has been awarded for the procurement of linear machines towards enhancing cancer care at the facility.
While speaking on additional efforts to reverse medical tourism, the chief medical director said ABUTH had a fully functional 128 Slice CT Scan machine.
He said, “If you are doing investigation abroad that requires the use of the 128 slice CT Scan, one must pay an amount not lower than $200 which is over N300,000 while ABUTH charges for such service is just N30,000”
The CMD disclosed that many patients were coming to ABUTH to do the scan, take it abroad and continue their treatments.
“We also have 1.5 Tesla MRI and 0.2 Tesla MRI machines which are high imaging machines.
“They are fully functional at the hospital and the cost for such services was far below what is being charged in other places within Nigeria.
“We also do lithotripsy at ABUTH which is breaking stones by laser instead of a surgery,’’ he said.
Umdagas said the hospital had celebrated over five successful IVF cases in collaboration with its partners.
According to him, the hospital plans to build a unit that would house all the necessary equipment for IVF services in its subsequent budgets.
518 NEW RECRUITS
No fewer than 518 new health professionals will join Ahmadu Bello University Teaching University (ABUTH) Zaria to mitigate the negative impact of `japa syndrome’ and strengthen healthcare delivery services at the hospital.
Prof. Ahmed Umdagas, Chief Medical Director of the hospital, made this known in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) on Sunday in Zaria.
He stated that the hospital has a shortage of doctors, nurses, pharmacists and other health workers caused by the migration of healthcare professionals abroad, known as ‘japa syndrome’.
Umdagas said the hospital had received over 7500 applications at the expiration of the vacancy advertisement. However, the CMD said the approval we got was for 518 officers.
“We have completed the exercise and by the first quarter of 2025, the hospital will have additional 518 staff towards improving the human resources for health in the hospital.
“We believe that injecting this cohort of staff would greatly strengthen health outcomes in the facility,’’ the CMD said.
Umdagas said in the area of manpower development, over 460 staff of the hospital received training, both local and international, towards improving health outcomes; stressing that such training will improve in 2025.
He added that recently, the ITF was in the hospital where it trained staff members on better ways of improving patient care.
Similarly the CMD said the facility was working with key stakeholders to strengthen its partnership and collaborations with key stakeholders to enhance health outcomes.
He explained that one of such collaborations was with the University of Miami, USA on the treatment of ovarian cancer; under the research initiative would be conducted on 70 patients globally.
“Of the 70 patients ABUTH would assess 20 patients, 10 would be done at Bahamas and remaining 40 would be assessed at the University of Miami,’’ Umdagas said.
