IBB Specialist Hospital Records First Brain, Knee Replacement Surgery

Ibrahim Badamasi Babangida (IBB) Specialist Hospital, Minna, has successfully performed its first brain surgery and total knee replacement.

LEADERSHIP findings revealed that a theatre team led by Consultant Neurosurgeon Dr Uthman Uthman performed brain surgery on a 19-year-old male who sustained severe brain injury and skull fracture following a Road Traffic Accident.

A check at the hospital revealed that the two-hour procedure was successful, and the patient is currently being nursed in the newly remodelled Amenity Wing.

Speaking after the surgery on Friday, the Consultant Neurosurgeon, Dr Uthman, explained that “I have noticed that a lot of varying neurologic surgical cases get referred from Niger State to us in Abuja, especially the emergencies which mostly arrive late; like traumatic brain injuries, strokes and spinal cord injuries, who may pass away before obtaining care or become complicated. Not to talk of people with cases like brain tumours who came to us late and helpless”.

“The absence of neurocritical care and a neurological surgeon contributed to the preventable and salvageable high morbidity and mortality from these cases. who hails from Niger State, this is part of our efforts to give back to the state,“ he added

“I am a trained neurosurgeon both in Nigeria and abroad. Other concerned Nigerlites and I believe we can contribute and participate in this critical aspect of subspecialty care in the state, especially in Minna, and if possible, drive medical tourism from neighbouring states and beyond,” he explained further.

The Chief Medical Director of the state-owned hospital, Dr Bala Waziri, said the desired neurocritical care in Niger State is achievable with the current commitment of Governor Umaru Mohammed Bago in providing a befitting Intensive care unit and radio diagnostic equipment such as CT and MRI scans.

He said whatever his team has achieved so far was a result of the governor’s vision to revolutionise healthcare delivery in Niger State.

The Chief Medical Director hinted that IBB Specialist Hospital, which was a pioneer referral centre in orthopaedic care in Nigeria, performed total hip replacements as early as the 1990s, also achieved another milestone by successfully performing its first total knee replacement surgery after many decades last week.

The team, led by Orthopedic Surgeons Abdullahi Mohammad and Mustapha Ibrahim, operated on a 65-year-old woman with bilateral advanced osteoarthritis of the knee.