LUTH will continue to work with relevant agencies to achieve President Tinubu’s agenda on quality healthcare delivery- CMD

The Chief Medical Director, CMD Lagos State University Teaching Hospital, LUTH, Prof. Wasiu Adeyemo has assured that his administration will continue to collaborate with the Federal Government and the Ministry of Health and Social Welfare to achieve the 4-point agenda of President Bola Tinubu in ensuring quality healthcare delivery in the country.

He also said efforts are ongoing by the FG and the Ministry to address the challenge of mass exodus of health practitioners from the country known as Japa syndrome.

The CMD who stated this during a press briefing to mark his one year in office decried the menace of doctors exiting the country to find ‘greener pasture’ in other countries, assured that the government is committed to ensuring that doctors are well encouraged.

“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.

Prof. Adeyemo who said salary increment was a central solution in curbing the menace of Japa syndrome assured that the Federal government is on top of it.

Recounting his achievements in the last one year as the Chief Administrator of LUTH 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 also stated 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 noted 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,” the CMD explained.

Prof. Adeyemo, who also disclosed 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.

The CMD commended the staff and unions of the hospital for their cooperation in piloting the affairs of the hospital and assured of our commitment and dedication to continue to provide qualitative and affordable healthcare to Nigerians. 

President, Association of Resident Doctors, Dotun Adesyakan commended 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.