Philanthropists urge more investment in health sector

Philanthropists have called on government and non-governmental organisations to boost investment in the health sector. They made this known in Lagos, yesterday, at the unveiling of two paediatric theatres donated to Lagos University Teaching Hospital (LUTH) by the world’s largest cleft charity, Smile Train, and Kids Operating Room (KidsOR) at the hospital premises.

Smile Train Vice President and Regional Director for Africa, Mrs. Nkeiruka Obi, stressed the need to strengthen local capacity to provide quality treatment, noting that the gesture would increase LUTH’s capacity to care for children across Nigeria.

“We remain committed to boosting the capacity of local healthcare professionals, while prioritising children in receiving safe, quality and timely surgery,” she added.

Chief Medical Director of LUTH, Prof. Chris Bode, noted that 2.9 million children require elective surgeries in Nigeria yearly.

“Despite this high burden of surgical conditions among our children, there were no dedicated surgical suites for children in Lagos until the theatres were built. These two operating rooms have become the flagship of what is required for surgery for children in Lagos, and, in fact, Nigeria,” Bode said.

A former president of West African College of Surgeons, Prof. King David Yawe, said the investment by Smile Train, in partnership with KidsOR, would improve access to elective and emergency operations in LUTH, thereby reducing morbidities and mortalities from delays in emergency surgery.