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…As rising patient load, poor staff retention cripple service delivery
By Chioma Obinna
The National Orthopaedic Hospital, Igbobi, Lagos, on Monday raised alarm over the worsening impact of brain drain, poor funding and infrastructure deficits on specialised healthcare delivery in Nigeria, warning that the country risks losing critical manpower needed to sustain orthopaedic and trauma care services.
The Medical Director of the hospital, Dr Wakeel Olaide Lawal, who spoke ahead of the hospital’s 80th anniversary celebration, lamented that many trained doctors and health professionals now prefer private hospitals or opportunities abroad because government hospitals are overstretched and poorly remunerated.
“The challenge of retaining staff is real. Many doctors reject government employment because you do more work but earn less,” Lawal said.
He disclosed that during the hospital’s last recruitment exercise, several pharmacists and doctors turned down employment offers after learning the salary structure.
“They asked for the salary and decided it was better to remain in private practice. Here, you work more under pressure, yet the pay is not encouraging,” he said.
The Medical Director noted that the situation is compounded by the high cost of living in Lagos, transportation expenses and lack of staff accommodation.
“Some of our workers spend about ?3,000 daily just to get to work. Accommodation in Lagos can cost ?3 million to ?4 million yearly, yet salaries remain the same nationwide,” he added.
Lawal spoke as the foremost orthopaedic hospital marked 80 years of specialised healthcare delivery, revealing that the institution now operates under enormous pressure due to rising patient loads from across Nigeria and neighbouring West African countries.
Established in 1945 to care for injured soldiers returning from the Second World War, the hospital has evolved into Nigeria’s leading referral centre for orthopaedics, trauma, plastic and reconstructive surgery, rehabilitation and complex deformity corrections.
“The hospital that started as a rehabilitation centre has become one of the foremost orthopaedic institutions not only in Nigeria but in West Africa,” Lawal stated.
He said the hospital has successfully reduced medical tourism by developing local expertise in joint replacement surgery, spine surgery, sports medicine, orthopaedic oncology and minimally invasive procedures.
“Ten to fifteen years ago, many patients travelled abroad for joint replacement and complex orthopaedic surgeries. Today, hardly any orthopaedic procedure cannot be done here with excellent outcomes,” he said.
Lawal added that more than 70 per cent of orthopaedic surgeons in Nigeria were trained at the institution.
According to him, the hospital has also become a leading centre for subspecialty training through collaborations with international organisations and foreign partners.
“We are not only training local specialists, we are bringing experts from around the world to deepen the skills of Nigerian orthopaedic surgeons so they can compete globally,” he said.
The Medical Director highlighted some of the institution’s achievements, including the establishment of a College of Nursing Sciences expected to graduate nearly 100 nursing students next year, as well as the Federal College of Orthopaedic Technology for training specialists in prosthetics, orthotics and orthopaedic cast technology.
Despite the achievements, Lawal warned that aging infrastructure and inadequate funding are threatening the hospital’s ability to meet rising healthcare demands.
“This hospital was established in 1945, but today it serves over 23 million residents of Lagos and patients from across West Africa. The infrastructure is no longer enough.”
He disclosed that several critical projects, including a new accident and emergency complex, expansion of the General Out-Patient Department, rehabilitation centre upgrades and oxygen plant completion, are progressing slowly due to lack of funds.
“Our accident and emergency building is under construction, but progress is slow because of funding. Our rehabilitation centre also needs urgent upgrade because of heavy usage,” he explained.
Lawal further revealed that the hospital spends between ?50 million and ?60 million monthly on electricity alone, excluding diesel and generator maintenance costs.
“We have solarised some buildings, but most of our equipment consumes huge energy. Healthcare delivery cannot stop because power fails.”
He appealed to philanthropists, corporate organisations and development partners to support the hospital in upgrading facilities and expanding infrastructure.
According to him, recent interventions by the NNPC Foundation, private donors and government agencies have helped improve staff accommodation, patient relatives’ hostels and nursing students’ facilities.
As part of activities marking the hospital’s 80th anniversary, Lawal said the institution would hold medical outreaches, awareness campaigns, community screenings and free treatment programmes for indigent patients.
Chairman of the Local Organising Committee and Head of Clinical Services, Dr. Francis Nwachukwu, said the outreach programme would include malaria, blood pressure, diabetes and cholesterol screening, alongside orthopaedic evaluations for joint pain, back pain and deformities.
“We hope to reach at least 1,000 people through the outreach. Those with serious conditions will be referred appropriately for further care,” Nwachukwu said.
The week-long anniversary celebration begins on May 17 and will feature awareness walks, novelty matches, community outreach programmes, thanksgiving services and project commissioning ceremonies.
Minister of State for Health and Social Welfare, Dr Iziaq Salako, is expected as guest of honour, while former Lagos State Governor, Babatunde Raji Fashola, will deliver the anniversary lecture.
The post Brain drain, funding shortfalls threaten Nigeria’s orthopaedic healthcare — Lawal appeared first on Vanguard News.