Smile Train, KidsOR Donates Paediatric Theatres to LUTH

Sunday Ehigiator

Thousands of children are set to benefit from the newly launched state-of-the-art paediatric theatres donated to the Lagos State Teaching Hospital (LUTH), by the world largest free cleft lip/palate care provider, Smile Train, in partnership with Kids Operating Room (KidsOR)

Speaking at the unveiling ceremony of the two theatres, recently, Smile Train Vice President and Regional Director for Africa, Mrs. Nkeiruka Obi, said the donation of the theatres, underscores the need to strengthen local capacity to provide quality treatment.

According to her, “Smile Train is focused on strengthening public health systems through our sustainable partnership model. Lagos University Teaching Hospital serves such a large population and provides surgical care to so many children.”

She said supporting LUTH in the renovation will increase their capacity and elevate the quality of care for children across Nigeria.

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

Also speaking on behalf of KidsOR, Past President of the West African College of Surgeons (WACS), Prof. King David Terna-Yawe posited that the investment by Smile Train in partnership with KidsOR will greatly improve access to both elective and emergency operations in LUTH, thereby reducing morbidities and mortalities from delays in emergency surgery and long waits for elective surgery.

According to him, “The provision of dedicated theatres for paediatric patients is highly commendable in many respects, especially in a city like Lagos where the available operating facilities are grossly inadequate to cater to the large population.

“This will facilitate capacity building for paediatric surgeons for the Nigerian health system and will allow LUTH to attract surgery residents from member nations of the Economic Community of West African States for training as well.”

In his acceptance speech, LUTH Chief Medical Director and Consultant Paediatric Surgeon, Professor Chris Bode, noted that 10 per cent of Nigeria’s 200 million population lives in Lagos.

According to him, 9 million of this population are children aged 14 years or less.

“Annually, 2.9 million children require elective surgeries in Nigeria and almost 300,000 of them reside in Lagos.

“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 recently in LUTH.

“These two operating rooms have become the flagship of what is required for surgery for children in Lagos, and, in fact, Nigeria,” he noted.

Also speaking, Consultant, Oral and Maxillofacial and Cleft Surgeon with the Lagos University Teaching Hospital, Prof. Olugbenga Ogunlewe, expressed delight at the new theatres.

She said that in addition to providing world-class standards of care using the new equipment, “the new theatre is motivating teams to carry out more surgeries with a refreshed frame of mind. We anticipate having more children receiving surgeries.”

In low- and middle-income countries, study reveals that around 85 per cent of children will need surgical care before their 15th birthday, but more than a billion children worldwide lack access to safe, affordable, and timely surgical and anaesthesia care.

Hundreds of children are expected to benefit from these two state-of-the-art Operating Rooms, which have been outfitted with equipment tailored for paediatric surgical care. This will translate to more lives saved and disabilities averted.

Speaking on partnerships with KidsOR, Smile Train Program Manager, West Africa, Victoria Awazie said, “Smile Train and KidsOR share a long-standing commitment to increasing access to paediatric surgical and anaesthesia care through a sustainable and empowering model.

“Given the anticipated population growth of Africa, there will be a significant need for paediatric surgical interventions.

“The long-term collaboration of KidsOR and Smile Train will ultimately result in more than 30 paediatric Operating Rooms provided across countries in Africa over the next five years, bringing care to more than 12,000 children.”