Reddington Hospital Performs First Keyhole Prostate Cancer Surgery in Africa
By Mary Nnah
The Redddington Hospital Group, Lagos, has again raised the bar in quality and affordable healthcare delivery service in Nigeria with the successful conduct of the first Laparoscopic radical prostatectomy in Africa.
Laparoscopic radical prostatectomy is a minimally invasive surgical procedure used to remove a patient’s cancerous prostate.
Laparoscopic surgery differs from traditional open surgery by making five small incisions as opposed to a large one to perform the surgery.
This leads to less blood loss, less abdominal trauma, a faster recovery rate, and better cosmetic outcomes.
Prof. Kingsley Ekwueme, a Consultant Urological, and Robotic Surgeon and clinical lead surgeon for Urology at Glan Clwyd Hospital in Wales, the United Kingdom who collaborated with the Reddington Hospital on the project, said prostate cancer was more prevalent among blacks than Caucasians even though figures show higher rates in Europe and the Americas due to high rate of testing.
Furthermore, Ekwueme said prostate cancer remains the number one killer among Nigerian men followed by breasts cancer for women.
He said hypothetically, there is one male suffering from prostate cancer in Nigeria in nine out of 10 homes in Nigeria.
Ekwueme said the collaboration with Reddington Hospital would reduce medical tourism and capital flight as the hospital has the cutting edge medical technology for Laparoscopic radical prostatectomy which is cheaper than robotic surgery but gives equal results.
He said it cost as much as £30,000 for one session of Laparoscopic radical prostatectomy in the United Kingdom and the majority of Nigerian men have been his patient.
This does not include the cost of the flight for the patient and accompanying family members and accommodation. This is a far cry from an equivalent of £1000 charged in Nigeria for the surgery.
He said a prostate cancer patient duly operated on would not lose his erection and would be able to function very well.
Ekwueme said conversations were ongoing with the Reddington Hospital to fully maximise the medical equipment and expertise in the hospital to establish a prostate cancer and diagnostic facility at the hospital.
He urged men above 40 to go for a regular test to know their PSA (prostate-specific antigen) level as early detection will ensure the survival of the patient.
The Chief Operating Officer(COO) of Reddington Hospital Group, Mr. Emmanuel Matthews said the hospital has consistently invested in cutting-edge technology and attracting the best medical expertise in Nigeria and in the Diaspora to ensure that the hospital maintains global best practices and ensure affordable health care.
Matthews said Reddington Group has over the years pioneered medical breakthroughs in Nigeria like the 66-year-old man, Mr. Oluwatoyin Adebiyi who in 2020 successfully underwent a complex heart surgery involving a coronary artery bypass graft and mitral valve repair.
The patient, an elderly man (names withheld) who went through the Laparoscopic radical prostatectomy said he is highly elated at the success of the surgery noting he could walk, and eat immediately and he is feeling very well. “Although I have the resources to go abroad for this surgery I came to Reddington Hospital on recommendation and I am very satisfied”, adding “why go to Sokoto for what is in your Sokoto”.
