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Prof. Rowland Ndoma-Egba has called on the Federal Government to enact enabling laws that would promote, protect and drive organ donation, tissue harvest and preservation in Nigeria.
Ndoma-Egba, a former Chief Medical Director of the University of Calabar Teaching Hospital, made the appeal in Calabar.
The Consultant Surgeon, who delivered the 70th University of Calabar Inaugural Lecture, also urged relevant authorities to encourage the establishment of liver and multi-organ transplantation services in Nigeria.
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The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the expert spoke on “Hepato-Pancreato-Biliary (HPB) Tree-The Green Tree of life: Do We Have the Liver?”.
Hepato-Pancreato-Biliary surgery refers to a separate sub-specialty of general surgery involving the surgery on diseases of the liver, pancreas and bile.
Ndoma-Egba also called for the development of dedicated HPB units in all hospitals, especially teaching hospitals, “to train the critical human capital to practice this challenging field of surgery’’.
He also urged the Nigerian government to promote the training HPB manpower by establishing centres of excellence for what he called Minimal Access Surgery and Endoscopy.
Endoscopy is a nonsurgical procedure used to examine a person’s digestive tract using an endoscope, a flexible tube with a light and camera attached to it.
Besides, he advocated for the development of related fields of HPB such as international Radiology, Molecular Biology and Oncology (diagnosis and treatment of cancer).
He reiterated that medical services would thrive in Nigeria if government barred foreign medical travels and promote “our own version of medical tourism’’.
The expert also said that government should provide the means for free treatment of cancer, diabetic and tuberculosis patients and immunisation against hepatitis B and C for all vulnerable groups.
“There is no justification for National Health Insurance Scheme not to apply to all Nigerians or majority thereof,’’ Ndoma-Egba said.
