National Hospital successfully separates first co-joined twins
.As FG offers automatic employment to parents
The National Hospital Abuja has announced that the two children who were born in Keffi, conjoined face-to-face at the chest and abdomen, and referred to the hospital about 16 months ago have been discharged after series of successful surgeries.
Addressing journalists in Abuja on Tuesday, the Chief Medical Director of the Hospital, Dr. Jaf Mommoh, said that proper care and several diagnostic procedures for a detailed diagnosis in preparation for the surgery was carried out on the twins who were on admission at the hospital for more than 16 months.
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Attributing the success of the operation to the hospital’s medical team, adequate funds, as well as the belief and trust the parents of the twins had in the hospital, Mommoh said that a total of 78 staff were directly involved in the surgery.
“The hospital management decided to fund the care and the entire processes leading to the major surgical procedure for the separation as our corporate social responsibility.
“We therefore, ensured that lack of funds did not stop these beautiful girls from having the opportunity to enjoy their lives independently,’’ he said.
He, therefore called on state governments to invest more in healthcare, which would aid in addressing such medical challenges, improve the sector, utilise available manpower, as well as ensure that hospitals had a specific specialisation.
Earlier, the Minister of Health, Dr. Osagie Ehanire, commended the CMD and management of the hospital for the feat.
He said that the case management team has demonstrated that the nation’s health system, even with modest resources, can rise up to the highest challenges.
He added that the achievement is a demonstration that the administration of President Muhammadu Buhari aims for grassroots universal health coverage, adding that support for tertiary care to improve performance is by no means lost.
‘’The successful outcome of this surgery is thanks to the availability of top experts at National Hospital Abuja, their dedication to the profession, the careful planning, the excellent teamwork and administrative support they received.
‘’These beautiful girls of Benue State origin, aptly named Goodness and Mercy, and the proud parents, are beneficiaries of a healthcare system, when it functions as it supposed to.
‘’The case management team has demonstrated that our health system, even with modest resources, can rise up to the highest challenges and offer quality care, to find its position among renowned international hospitals’’, Dr. Ehanire added.
He added that the parents of the children would be offered automatic employment with the hospital to enable them sustain the upkeep of the children.
On his part, the Head of the Medical team and Chief Consultant Paedetric Surgeon, Prof. Emmanuel Ameh, said the operation which lasted for more than 12 hours, comprised of 78 medical personnel.
Ameh, however, said that the twins’ growth and development would continue to be monitored to ensure they grow up healthy.
On her part, the Minister for Women Affairs, Mrs. Pauline Tallen, while commending the medical team, assured the parents of automatic employment for the unemployed mother in the Federal Civil Service.
Responding, father of the twins, Mr. Michael Edeh, expressed appreciation to the government, staff and management of National Hospital, as well as family and friends for the support that saved his girls.
