The President of the Medical and Dental Consultants Association of Nigeria Prof. Aminu Mohammad has raised the alarm over the acute shortage of paediatric surgeons in the northern region of the country.
According to the MDCAN president, only three paediatric surgeons serve Kano and five other northern states.
He pointed out the disturbing situation had left the region grappling with a severe shortage of specialised healthcare services for children.
Speaking exclusively with PUNCH Healthwise, Mohammad lamented that the Aminu Kano Teaching Hospital, Kano State takes care of patients from about five to six states seeking paediatric surgery.
The don added that with only three paediatric surgeons and two operating tables per week, the waiting list for elective surgeries extends over a year.
The surgeon noted, “Last Monday alone, we saw 106 patients, two-thirds of them were waiting for surgery.
“As a children’s surgeon working in the northwest in Kano, almost the neighbouring states except Kaduna, do not have paediatric surgeons.
“If you look at the population of children, which is about, let’s say in Nigeria, almost close to 50 per cent are children below the age of 16. Children surgeons in Nigeria are not up to 150 now. And this is what will serve this total population for children’s surgical needs.
“This is one of the reasons why it will take you a longer time to cover. And then, the patients keep coming every week and you are adding anyone that comes on the next available operation list booking. So, that is what builds on to lead to this waiting period.”
The professor of Paediatric Surgery at Bayero University maintained that surgeons are a scarce commodity, and several factors influence the timing of surgeries.
According to him, there are two main categories of patients; those needing emergency surgeries and those requiring elective procedures.
“Emergency cases always take priority due to their critical nature. Elective surgeries, which can be scheduled for another time, often face significant delays due to limited resources,” he explained.
While noting that the shortage of surgeons and operating theatres compounds the problem of waiting lists, Muhammad lamented that Nigeria’s healthcare system is burdened with a large patient load but a limited number of specialised surgeons.
He stated, “Surgery is divided into various sub-specialties. For instance, there are general surgeons, plastic surgeons, neurosurgeons, and pediatric surgeons, among others. Each specialty has its own set of challenges and patient demands.
“Limited surgical slots and shared operating rooms significantly contribute to the backlog. Additionally, the shortage of anesthesiologists and other critical support staff worsens the problem.
“The brain drain has resulted in fewer specialists available to handle the increasing number of patients. This has a direct impact on the availability and timeliness of surgical care.”
The paediatric surgeon also revealed that he is now doing surgery he was not meant to do because of the shortage.
“People have left, those that are trained to do those surgeries specifically are not available. But as a pediatric surgeon, you are trained to do a lot from different specialities like skin grafting. So, in our situation, you may have to be doing the other cases because you can’t also say they should go, even if you say, go somewhere, where are you going to send them to?
“This further compounds the situation, we used to have three plastic surgeons. Now it’s the only one that is available. Definitely whatever the three can do has been transferred to that single one. And then there is no way you can do as much as when there were three. Therefore, it also prolonged the working period.”
He, however, called on the government to take urgent action to address the shortage, including training and employing more pediatric surgeons.
The MDCAN president also emphasised the need for improved healthcare infrastructure and equipment to support the work of the few available pediatric surgeons.
The professor suggested that increasing the number of operating theatres and improving infrastructure could help alleviate the backlog.
The surgeon advocated for better support and incentives for surgeons in the country.
He added, “Improving the working conditions and remuneration for medical professionals could help retain talent and ensure that more surgeries are performed.”
He stressed that increased infrastructure, improved working conditions, and innovative scheduling solutions could provide much-needed relief for Nigeria’s overwhelmed surgical system.
“Introducing more services during off-peak hours, such as weekends or nights, could help reduce waiting times.
“Patients who can afford to pay a little more could receive expedited care, which would, in turn, reduce the burden on the standard waiting list,” he suggested.
