Medical feat offers potential for medical tourism into Nigeria

Annually, about N80billion ($500 million) leaves Nigeria in form of medical tourism in countries like the United Kingdom, Germany, the United States of America and India.

While this development is due to significant inequities in access to high-end quality care, India earns over N41.6 billion ($260 million) from Nigeria alone, accounting for more than half the entire income Nigeria loses to medical tourism annually.

Given this inadequacy, the medical feat carried out by a team of surgeons from Lagoon Hospitals that performed the first surgery involving metallic replacement of the humerus (whole arm bone), shoulder and elbow joints on a patient offers huge potential for driving medical tourism into Nigeria.

Speaking on this historic achievement, Segun Abudu, consultant orthopaedic surgeon, at the Royal Orthopaedic Hospital, Birmingham UK, who led the team of surgeons that performed this medical procedure, told BusinessDay that it was a thing of national pride to provide Nigerians high-end quality care with Lagoon Hospital providing the platform to become the first hospital in Nigeria and West Africa to record the successful medical procedure.

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Abudu, who is seconded to Lagoon Hospitals since 2011, said the blood vessels were dissected and fixed back with the damaged elbow replaced with artificial prosthetics (elbow parts) which were fabricated and implanted into the patient’s arm.

While one part fits into the humerus and other part fits into the ulna (forearm), the two parts were connected and held together by a locking pin, thereby ensuring the resulting hinge allows the elbow to bend, thereby restoring mobility to the damaged elbow joints.

“The patient who in his late 30s was involved in a road accident 4years ago. During the period, he couldn’t move his shoulder and had been operated on in various hospitals before coming to Lagoon hospital. His arms were shortened before the surgery so we had to fabricate an extendable prosthetics for him. The surgery lasted for 8 hours with blood transfusion services and anaesthetics required during the process.

“Two weeks after the surgery, the patient went home and would require physiotherapy within the next three months following which he would be able to drive and do other things. The cost of the surgery may seem expensive but bearing in mind the inability to use the hands, the benefits far outweighs the option for him to possibly amputate the arm if he didn’t undergo the procedure. The longevity of specially made prosthetics is a minimum of 20 years,” Abudu concluded.

Lars Stork, Hygeia group chief executive officer (GCEO), noted that there are a significant number of Nigerians who go abroad for treatment. While the achievement by its orthopaedic surgeons confirms the hospital’s commitment to being the first choice for healthcare solutions in Nigeria, it would continue to invest in high-quality speciality services at least at par with what is offered abroad.

“Lagoon Hospitals continue to prove that we are indeed pioneers in ground-breaking surgery and other tertiary healthcare solutions. We certainly encourage Nigerians to take full benefit from these investments. At the end of the day, patients are best served by medical treatment provided close to where they live.