By KEMI AKINTOKUN

The Lagos University Teaching Hospital (LUTH), on Tuesday said the hospital had recorded a milestone with its first minimal access surgery on a 13-day old baby girl at the hospital.

Prof. Wasiu Adeyemo, Chief Medical Director of LUTH, said at a media briefing in Lagos, that the surgery was the first of its kind in any public hospital in the country.

Adeyemo said the thoracoscopic primary repair of the Esophageal Atresia and Tracheosophageal fistula was successfully carried out on the baby by a team of experts at the hospital.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that Esophageal atresia (EA) and tracheoesophageal fistula (TEF) are rare conditions that develop before birth.

Both life threatening conditions occur together and affect the development of the esophagus (food pipe), and should be treated shortly after birth.

According to him, the surgery was made possible due to the increased funding by the Federal Government, the Health Ministry and public, private partnership.

“This minimal access surgery has further showcased the effort of the Federal Government through LUTH to ensure Nigerians have access to affordable and quality healthcare.

“This surgery is the first of its kind in any tertiary institution in Nigeria with the use of thoracoscopic equipment.

“We have the expertise here in LUTH and surgeries like this are highly subsided by the Federal Government for Nigerians to benefit and get the healthcare they need in the country without traveling abroad.

“I want to also commend Dr Igwe of Evercare Specialist Hospital for his willingness to share his expertise and experience with our surgeons,” he said.

Speaking also, Dr Felix Alakaloko, a paediatric Consultant who led the surgery, said the success of the procedure was a major feat for the institution.

Alakaloko said the baby that was 13 days old when operated on was doing fine and would be discharged on March 6.

He noted that such surgeries cost between N6 million and N15 million in private hospitals or outside the country, compared to N300,000 charged at LUTH.

“This baby was brought to LUTH when she was nine days old with a blocked Esophagus, (that is the pipe that carries food to the stomach) and needed urgent surgery.

“The baby was choking on feeding and bringing out mucus from the nose and mouth which indicated that there was a blockage in the tube that connects food to the stomach.

“So, we reconnected the tube through a minimal access surgery instead of doing an open surgery that could endanger the life of the child,” he said.

He urged parents to observe their newborn babies to detect any abnormalities and present them on time.

Mrs Adeyinka Shola, the mother of the baby, commended LUTH for the life-saving surgery performed on her daughter.

Shola said her baby, who turned 24 days old on Tuesday, was doing fine and ready to go home.

“I’m indebted and grateful to LUTH for saving the life of my baby girl, I noticed she was not doing fine four hours after I gave birth to her.

“We were referred to LUTH for further investigation on her health, and I am happy that she has improved tremendously after the surgery. (NAN)

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