Improving Healthcare Delivery System

The recent donation of medical equipment worth over N5 million to the Lagos Island General Hospital, by Class 9A of the 1976 to 1979 Lagos State Nursing School, will improve healthcare delivery system in Lagos, writes Oluchi Chibuzor 

45 years after graduating from the Lagos State Nursing School, Ikoyi in Lagos, the second pioneering set of the institution, known as Galean, came back to honour their Alma mater where they were taught by world class health experts.

A class of 40 students, made up of 36 females and four males have risen to the zenith of their profession with so many embracing public service, private practice and others, seeking greener pastures abroad.  

The journey of what would mark a watershed as their career in nursing training began at 1 to 9 Awolowo Road lkoyi, Lagos, Nigeria, has since seen then maintained and unbroken chord of friendship, as they have over the years, organised a monthly meeting in each other’s homes.

The thought of choosing General Hospital Lagos Island as the recipient of their magnanimity, is not far-fetched, given that it is where the bedrock of their clinical training under the free sponsorship of the then Lagos state government.

In show of appreciation to the hospital, they presented two state-of the-art vital signs monitors, 20 dressing trolleys, 25 drip stands and 250 white bed sheets. Although these are essentials, ‘‘but what we have presented to the hospital cannot be compared to what the Lagos state government gave us through free nursing education’’, PRO of the group, Mrs. Ibidola Adeniyi, enthused.

Speaking at the occasion, the President of the Gales Club Class 9A 1976 to 1979, Omipe Sadipe, said: “The donation of some medical equipment to the hospital is in recognition of what we received from the hospital.”

Sadipe said gathering at the General Hospital, Lagos, fondly called GH during their training in 1976 to 1979 reminded them of the challenges they faced.

She recalled having to fight off a Military Government effort to make them sign five year bond post training, noting that they had to mourn the loss of, “one of us who died shortly after we returned to the hostel from Yaba Psychiatric Hospital.”

“These and many other challenges rather than break us individually and collectively helped in the strong bond that is waxing strong daily. The entire members of the class formed the Gales club shortly after graduation. Today, we remain one happy family. 

“We the entire members of the special class of 9A set, popularly called the Bera class, of the Lagos State School of Nursing, 1-9 Awolowo Roadlkoyi represented by members here physically present, and members joining online are back home.

“We like to thank most sincerely the Lagos State Government for giving us a world standard quality nursing training. Lucky us, we enjoyed this world class quality training for free,” she stated.

Applause 

Sadipe expressed their special thanks to the GH Management Team noting that, “daily we appreciate the world standard clinical training impacted in us, from June 1976 July 1979.

“To all those Staff Nurses, Nursing sisters, Matrons in all the Wards, Emergency clinic, operating theatre many may not be here today that helped in our clinical training, We appreciate you, we thank you, we remain grateful. God bless you all. To the present Nursing staff and the Management Team of GH, we thank you for raising the bar of the healthcare delivery system for the people of Lagos State. 

“The Director of Nursing Services, GH Nursing staff members, we like to shout it loud and clear to the world: that through our members contribution to the healthcare delivery system, what GH deposited in us has benefited Mankind in many Nigerian hospitals, corporate Health Clinics, the best hospitals, and health facilities all over the world.”

Omipe Sadipe pledged that they would continue to be good ambassadors of GH wherever and to larger society, especially, “the less privileged we have made, will continue to make donations to make life more meaningful. 

“We the Galean as we call ourselves, have over the years used our unity cultivated in Awolowo road and donated Equipment’s and Modern day Teaching aids to our Great School. Today we have come to donate hospital items that will enhance the health care delivery system of the cornerstone of our clinical knowledge. Medical items that will be helpful in the ER room, in the Wards and the Nursing Delivery System.” 

Reciprocating with Galean Ward

Commenting on the gesture from the group, the Chief Medical Director, Lagos Island General Hospital, Dr. Ismail Ganikale, said the gift was coming at the right time; they are witnessing a deep renovation. 

Harping on the significance of the medical item, Ganikale pointed out that the hospital would deploy all the gifts to increase healthcare delivery for the patients.  

“We appreciate your gift and this is what we need for the new wards. If I have my way, our wards as they get renovated we will begin to name them. We are going to name one ward Galean wards and we have reasons to do it. These monitors will be in that ward, the drip stand and most of the donation will be in that ward. We will be using the ward before the end of this year. There is no accident in life, why is it at this time you people decided to come? This is the period the hospital is undergoing a complete deep renovation in the last over 100 years, “he said.

Ganikale, however, emphasised that he has always made a point that the hospital belongs to the nurses, as they spend most time with the patients, “others come and go but 24/7 the nurses are the closest to the people. Moved with nostalgia at the timeliness of the equipment, the Medical Director announced that with new wards was recently added in the ongoing renovation, the management would dedicate a ward in honour of the Class 9A set.

“So we have a Galean ward now in our Lagos Island GH and I also want to make an appeal, please do not let this spirit die. Even if it means widening it to welcome others, maybe from another class; we thank you and we appreciate it.”

Establishing Partnership 

For the Public Relations Officer of the group, Mrs. Ibidola Adeniyi, handing over the donation to the hospital management pledged to adopt the newly named Galean ward as a way to foster effective collaboration between the set and the hospital community.

“We promised you that with this donation, we will keep monitoring their utilisation and adopt it as our own. We will ensure that the ward is effectively equipped adequately. Within our capacity we will intervene to keep this relationship a continuous one.

According to her, on behalf of all Galean’s both home and in diaspora promise that, “our donation today is the beginning of periodic donations that we shall be making to GH.

“We shall maintain regular communication with the Director of Nursing services to know the needs of our Nursing colleagues and the GH Management team to make GH a center of Excellence in the Healthcare delivery system to our people in Lagos State.”

For Ezekiel Awe, a member of the Class 9A, and the only surviving male, who flew in from Houston Texas, for the donation, admonished the GH management to frequently notify them of their immediate needs.

He said, “As a representative of those in the diaspora, we implore you to please interact with us frequently in any issues facing the hospital. Though we are working in the diaspora to make money, our mind is over here in Nigeria.”

Campus Closure Reaction 

According to Awe: “The government cannot do everything, it is when we as individuals support our healthcare system, and this is what makes the difference between there and here. This is what we are trying to introduce, so that all our formal sets and those who are following us will also emulate us.

 “We are so sad that the school is no more there, but we do not know the genesis of closing the place. But we are not happy that the school is no longer there, because you cannot make reference to the school directly and that is giving us a sort of problem.”

Reducing Stress 

Delighted with the visit of the Class 9A, the Deputy-Director Nursing Services/Apex Nurse, Lagos Island General hospital, Mrs. Monebi Ayodeji, believed with the right equipment and technology healthcare delivery could be seamless.

“You know it is not about work, work, when the people that are working for you are made comfortable. I know the government really loves the healthcare delivery system, they are putting in so much but I know they are still looking at areas they can further do more.

“With the donated items stress will be reduced for the nurses in the ward. The issue of going up and down to take medical readings for patients will be totally reduced, “Ayodeji stated. 

On his part, Consultant and Head Anaesthesia, Lagos Island General Hospital, Dr. Abiola Mafe, said: “Giving us two of these monitors, means that two new patients times the number of change over that will be using these monitors and you know the number of lives that would be saved.”

Explaining the functions of the monitors, she said, “It will read the pulse-that is the beating of the heart from minute to minute, it will also take the oxygen saturation, which means how much oxygen each patient is carrying at every point in time.

“This one is real time you can set it every five minutes and every five minutes it will take the blood pressure on its own unlike a nurse having to come back each time to take blood pressure, she will go and come back. It also has the automated paper, so if it reads and the nurse is doing something else you can always go back and check and see what was recorded over the period of time.”