During the maiden matriculation of the hospital’s School of Anaesthetic Technology, at the weekend, in Ikeja, the Chief Medical Director (CMD), Prof. Adetokunbo Fabamwo, noted that there was a huge demand for professionals on account of existing gaps to cover the large population that needs their services.
He said the need to strengthen the number of anaesthetists nationwide informed LASUTH’s decision to establish the school.
Fabamwo noted: “We found out that there is a gap in the number of anaesthetic technicians available. So, LAUSTH management decided to set up a school to train anaesthetic technicians. We have enough resources, personnel and equipment to train them. We have embarked on the journey and this is the first step of matriculating them so they can start their academic session well.
“Anaesthetic technicians are to be trained to maintain and keep in good working order, the machines and equipment used to put patients to sleep and keep them alive in the intensive care unit and theatre to assist the anaesthetists to carry out their work effectively.”
Keynote speaker, Major General ‘Shina Ogunbiyi (rtd), observed that Nigeria “has a generally low density of anaesthesia providers and allied workforce compared to the population.”
He said the workforce providing healthcare in Sub-Saharan Africa was over-stretched, factors contributing to this dismal outing varying from one country to the other.
Ogunbiyi said the reasons comprise “brain drain, which involves the continued migration of doctors, including physician anaesthetists, nurses, critical care nurses, non-physician anaesthetic providers and anaesthetic technicians from Nigeria to richer countries such as Saudi Arabia.”
According to him, the development has negatively global healthcare delivery capabilities of these sub-sets of professionals and attained a frightening height, especially in Sub-Saharan Africa.
“The Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) call for the achievement of universal health coverage, including access to quality surgical services. The surgical workforce, consisting of surgeons, obstetricians and anaesthetists, is key to achieving access to safe, affordable and timely surgery.
“However, most low and middle-income countries (LMICs) do not have enough anaesthesia workforce to ensure access to safe surgery,” he added
Ogunbiyi stressed that the poaching of physician anaesthetists and allied healthcare providers such as anaesthetic technicians due to a dwindling economy should be sustainably addressed by the government.
He pointed out that a major challenge in the Nigerian healthcare system, which ultimately affects the anaesthesia workforce, was the healthcare financing model.
Ogunbiyi said though President Muhammadu Buhari, recently flagged off the National Health Insurance Agency, the majority of patients still pay for services, even in government hospitals.
On her part, the Director of School, Dr. Titilola Awodesu, while congratulating the matriculating students, stated that they would be trained to know more about anaesthesia and anatomy, as well as physiology, pharmacology and engineering since their job entails arranging the theatre before surgical procedures besides repairs and maintenance of equipment and machines.
