The University of Port Harcourt Teaching Hospital, UPTH, said it has achieved major successes in Minimal Access Surgeries, as the hospital also seeks to upscale the technique against the conventional open incision method.
The UPTH Management had said that the Minimal Access Surgical technique involves accessing surgical sites in the human body with the aid of cameras and other equipments without necessarily putting a big cut on the issue to gain access.
This was disclosed on Friday August 31,2024, at the monthly ground rounds of the hospital by the Minimal Access Surgery unite titled, ” Minimal Access Surgeries In UPTH.” Past, present and future “.
Speaking to newsman shortly after the presentation, chairman, Medical Advisory Committee,UPTH, Professor Datonye Alasia, pinpointed the benefits of the technique, noting that the procedure is more economical than the conventional method.
According to Prof. Datonye, the aim of the ground rounds was to create an awareness for cross fertilization of ideas, discuss achievements and challenges facing different departments in the hospital, and also create awareness to members of the public about specialized and high- end services which the hospital provides.
His words:, today’s ground rounds was focused on minimally invasive or access surgeries, talking about those procedures you carry out without putting a big cut to gain access to the surgical sites using cameras and some delicate equipments either to diagnose what the problem is or to offer treatment which could be surgical “, He summed up.
” This, he continued, cuts across various areas, the intestinal tract, the chest,thorax lungs, the heart, the brain, kidneys and urinary tract, obstetrics and gynecology and even children. So what we have today was a summation of all of those services and so we have been able to see a whole lot of interesting things that have given benefits to many patients and of course those services would have come at a cost that is more affordable and competitive, because you were to pay for those services in other places it would actually cost a bit more.
” And so,we are working to see how we can scale up the extent of the Minimal access services so that we can do more than we are currently doing now”, Prof. Datonye stated.
Also speaking, Director UPTH Minimal Access Surgery Programme , Prof. Emeka Ray-Offor who led the presentation urged members of the public to request for minimal access surgery whenever there’s a need for surgery, stressing that it engenders early recovery and it is time saving.
According to Ray- Offo, the traditional open method is okay, but the advantages in this minimal access technique has less pain afterwards,early recovery,early return to work.
He used the opportunity to call on the Federal Government to strengthen specialized regional.medical centres in the country to discharge medical tourism abroad.
” We should really look inwards to solving our problems, if the amount of monies given to civil servants to go for medical treatments abroad is brought home and you have dedicated centres regionally and well funded ,it will help to address these challenges. Although, government cannot do all of it, but we have good natured individuals in the private sector that can get involved ”
” The government should make concerted efforts to encourage some of those practices that people are going abroad for and put a policy that no treatment available here should be sought abroad, if they are doing that, things would improve.”
He said, that More strength need to be identified to strengthen it more through regional centres, though it is capital intensive to have the technology dependent practices in every state, adding that , though regional centres equip them, instead of sending people abroad for medical tourism “, Ray-Offor stated.