ADDRESS OF THE MEDICAL DIRECTOR , NATIONAL EAR CARE CENTRE, KADUNA ON THE OCCASION OF THE INAUGURAL MEETING OF THE “FRIENDS OF THE HOSPITAL” ON WEDNESDAY 22ND MAY, 2013.
The Chairman of the Committee of Friends of the Hospital,
Distinguished members of the Committee,
Members of the Top Management Committee (TMC) of the Centre,
Other personalities.
Prof. Babagana M. Ahmad
Permit me to start by thanking all of you for graciously accepting our nomination to serve as members of this committee. I am pleased to inform you that you were considered in your personal capacities, taking into consideration your credibility, wealth of experience in both public and private life and based on your immense contributions at different times and in different ways to the growth and development of the Centre. Anytime the progress of the Centre over these years is mentioned, your contributions and sacrifices would always be remembered. The entire Staff and students of the Centre would always remember you for these contributions.
THE CENTRE
On this occasion of our inaugural meeting, it is important to give you a brief background of the Centre which started in 1999 in a space provided by the Lagos University Teaching Hospital (LUTH). This was purely for logistics reasons, since the pioneer Acting Medical Director; Prof. P.A Okeowo was then a Staff of LUTH. Plans for its relocation to Kaduna were to commenced immediately, a temporary office for takeoff of the Center was allocated by the Kaduna State Government at N0: 20, Katuru Road in February, 2001 where selected services commenced by July of the same year. Nothing much was however, done on his assumption of duty and progressed in phases until October, 2003 when the final batch of Staff was relocated to Kaduna.
MANDATE
The Centre was established with the following mandate:
- Diagnosis and Treatment of Ear, Nose and Throat diseases
- Training and Manpower Development
- To Co-ordinate research into the prevalence of deafness, Nose and Throat disease.
- Serve as referral Centre for ENT cases in the Country.
CLINICAL ACTIVITIES
As at September 2002, not much was being done in terms of Clinical activities due to lack of space/facilities, equipment and personnel. However, not deterred by these constraints, management approached the Kaduna State Government which graciously allocated space for Clinics and admission at the then newly renovated Yusuf Dantsoho memorial Hospital T/Wada and the Nigerian Army Reference Hospital for Theatre space. With these, clinical services with surgeries and admissions commenced in earnest. The Kaduna State Government also provided space at the School of Health Technology, also in T/Wada for relocation of the School of Post Basic ENT from Lagos to Kaduna.
EQUIPMENT
Since there was no permanent site, the Centre deployed the capital allocation given to it between 2004-2006 to the procurement of vital equipment, such as operating beds, operating light, X-Ray Machine, Audiology, Radiology and Laboratory equipment.
This action helped greatly in the smooth commencement of Clinical Services when the permanent site was eventually acquired.
PERMANENT SITE
The result of the movement of the Ahmadu Bello University Teaching Hospital to Shika, the Centre requested part of the facilities in Kaduna to be allocated to her to secure as her permanent site. After much deliberation and negotiation, the Kaduna State Government in 2006 graciously accepted to release the former Psychiatric Hospital along Golf Course/Independence Way together with the adjoining houses to serve as her permanent site.
From 2007, the management commenced renovations/remodeling of the old structure to suit the need of the ENT specialty. From that time to date, it has succeeded in renovating, remodeling and building the following structures most of which have been commissioned and put into use.
- Renovation of ENT Clinic/Construction of OPD
- Renovation/Conversion of Male Ward to Theatre
- Renovation of Female Ward
- Renovation of Male Ward
- Renovation of Amenity Ward/Doctor Lounge
- Renovation of Pharmacy/Medical Records Block
- Construction of shops (later converted to students hostel)
- Renovation of Radiology Block
- Renovation of Laboratory
- Renovation of Audiology
- Construction of ENT building (Administrative Block)
- Construction of Accident and Emergency Block
- Renovation of Laundry/Pharmacy Stores.
Due to the irregular supply of water and power which are key to the discharge of the Centre’s mandate, the following where also provided:
- 1 solar powered Borehole (Donated by Kaduna State Government)
- 2 Boreholes, one each at the ENT Building and Female Ward
- Industrial Borehole to feed the others
- 2 (2) 60KVA Generator Plant
- 1 450KVA Perkins Generator Plant
- 1 500KVA dedicated transformer
TRAINING
The Centre as part of its mandate has partial accreditation from both the National Post Graduate Medical College and the West African College of Surgeons for Residency Training. In pursuant of this, it has successfully trained three Consultants, two of whom are from Kaduna State. Many others are at the final stages of their training.
The Centre also has the only School of Post Basic ENT Nursing accredited by the Nursing and Midwifery Council of Nigeria for training of Nurses in the ENT specialty. It is responsible for training all the ENT Nurses that are serving in the country presently.
SERVICES PROVIDED
CLINICAL
- Seen and treated – 72,250 patients (adult and children) from 2002 – 2012
- Surgeries 916 (2002-2012)
MANPOWER
- Trained 398 Post Basic ENT Nurses from 2002 Till Date
- Trained 907 Primary Ear Care provides … (2003 – Till Date)
iii. Train the Trainees over 100 (1st to be launched by WHO in African in 2006)
- Organized many workshops and enlightenment programmes on the prevention of Deafness and the damages of the traditional practice of Uvulectomy
ON-GOING/FUTURE PROJECTS
- Expansion of Radiology block to provide room for CT Scan and MRI (on-going)
- Constructions of a research block to provide for Research Library consultant officers, temporal Bone Laboratory, Speech laboratory, Sleep Laboratory (which is non-existence in the country presently)
iii. Construction of students lecture hall and hostels
- Expansion of Audiology block to provide facilities for the newly approved Audiology Technician Course
- Construction of internal road network and drainages.
- Procurement of CT Scan and MRI Machines.
As friends of the hospital, I have taken this time to acquaint you with the modest progress made over these few years; and with the list of projects earmarked for the future. I must not fail to inform you that finding and releases for both recurrent and capital projects to the Centre has not been very good. It is my prayer that in due course, you would use your good position seek for support from well meaning philanthropists.
Once against, I thank you most sincerely for accepting our nomination and honoring our invitation today.
Thank you.
