By Austin Ogwuda
A seven-year-old girl who has been suffering from colostomy from birth has been successfully operated upon at the Federal Medical Centre (FMC), Asaba, Delta State, Nigeria.
The operation could not take place for years due to financial constraints until the intervention of the Nigeria’s First Lady, Senator Oluremi Tinubu and Delta State’s First Lady, Deaconess Tobore Oborevwori who facilitated the long-awaited surgery.
Colostomy in medical jargon means: surgical formation of an artificial anus by connecting the colon to an opening in the abdominal wall or simply referred to, as bowel diversion.
The complex medical operation which lasted over 11 hours, reconstructed a functional anal structure and addressed related complications in the process.
Similarly, another one-year-old Baby underwent a 14-hour operation to correct a similar condition.
Both surgeries performed by a multi-disciplinary team led by renowned Paediatric Surgeon, Professor Emmanuel Ameh, were overseen by the Chief Medical Director, Dr. Victor Osiatuma.
According to the FMC boss, “this marks a significant milestone in the Federal Medical Centre’s journey toward becoming a leader in advanced medical procedures within Nigeria”.
He called for sustained public and government support to reduce the financial burden on indigent patients while reiterating the importance of investing in local healthcare systems to address medical tourism concerns.
Credit: Gilbo Communications
