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- Records 50 successful kidney transplants
From Priscilla Ediare, Ado-Ekiti
In a bid to expand its surgical care delivery in Nigeria, Afe Babalola Multi-System Hospital(AMSH), Ado-Ekiti, has signed a Memorandum of Understanding(MoU) with Manipal Hospitals, India, one of the largest and most respected hospital groups in India.
This was as AMSH celebrated 50th successful kidney transplants since the inception of its kidney transplantation programme.
The Chief Medical Director (CMD) of AMSH, Dr Akinola Akinmade, made the disclosure during a press briefing in Ado-Ekiti, capital of Ekiti State, where he linked the successful transplant outcomes to the hospital’s investment and commitment to delivering quality and highly specialised care.
” Today. I am proud to announce that our Kidney Transplant Program has now crossed the milestone of 50 successful kidney transplants. This is more than a number. It represents 50 patients given renewed hope, 50 families spared the prolonged burden of end-stage kidney disease, and 50 clear demonstrations that highly specialised care can be safely and successfully delivered here in Nigeria.
“Kidney transplantation is one of the most complex areas of modern medicine. It requires careful patient selection, donor evaluation, surgical precision, advanced anaesthesia, intensive care. infection control, renal medicine, immunosuppression monitoring. laboratory support, pharmacy support, nursing excellence, and long-term follow-up.
“That AMSH has crossed this milestone with consistently strong outcomes is a testimony to the quality of our systems and the depth of commitment of our clinical and support teams.
“We are particularly proud that our outcomes have remained among the leading success rates in this area of care. This is not accidental. It is the result of deliberate investment in infrastructure, training, international collaboration, clinical governance, and a hospital culture that places patient safety at the centre of everything we do.”
Speaking on the MoU with Manipal Hospitals, India, the CMD said the partnership was necessary to expand AMSH’s capacity, deepen specialist training. improve clinical exchange, and open new frontiers in advanced surgical care at the facility.
“On behalf of the ABUAD Multi-System Hospital myself and the deputy CMD, Dr Stephen Oguntola will sign and on behalf of Manipal Hospitals, Dr. Sood will sign.
“Our earlier collaborations helped us establish a strong foundation in renal transplantation and advanced urological surgery. We are grateful for those partnerships and for the knowledge transfer that came with them.
“However, progress demands that institutions continue to evolve.That is why we are now taking an even bigger step through the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding with Manipal Hospitals, India, one of the largest and most respected hospital
groups in India. This partnership is intended to expand our capacity, deepen specialist training. improve clinical exchange, and open new frontiers in advanced surgical care at AMSH.
“Our focus is no longer limited to kidney transplantation alone. From our previous collaborations, we have also expanded into highly specialised urological procedures, including complex urethral reconstruction and penile implant surgery. These are procedures that many patients previously had to travel abroad to access. Today, they are becoming available here in Ado-Ekiti.
“We are also strengthening our capacity in advanced transurethral prostate surgery, radical prostatectomy for prostate cancer treatment, reconstructive urology, and other advanced urological therapies.
These services are important because urological diseases affect quality of life, family life, fertility, productivity, and survival. Men who suffer silently from prostate obstruction, urethral strictures, erectile dysfunction, or prostate cancer should not have to leave Nigeria before receiving expert care.
“Our vision is clear: to make AMSH a true Centre of Excellence for Nephrology and Urological Surgery among others. To achieve this, we are already working toward the introduction of robotic surgery. Robotic surgery represents the next generation of precision surgery. In urology, it can improve surgical accuracy, reduce blood loss, shorten hospital stay, support faster recovery, and improve outcomes in carefully selected patients.
“Beyond urology, our developing partnership with Manipal Hospitals will also support expansion into other advanced areas, including robotic joint replacement surgery and other high-level specialist procedures. This means that patients who would otherwise travel to Lagos, Abuja, India, Europe, or the Middle East for care will increasingly have access to world-class services here at AMSH.”
Akinmade commended the founder of AMSH, Aare Afe Babalola (SAN), for establishing the world-class hospital, and ensuring it delivers world-class services.
” This progress did not happen by chance. It is the product of the foresight, vision, and deliberate investment of our Founder, Aare Afe Babalola, SAN, CON. Long before now many believed that a hospital of this standard could not thrive in this environment, he saw what was possible. He built not just a hospital, but an ecosystem for clinical care, training, research, innovation, and human development.
“The Founder’s vision has always been clear: Nigerians should not be forced to travel abroad for every major medical intervention. If the right equipment, the right people, the right systems, and the right discipline are brought together, world-class care can be delivered here. AMSH is living proof of that belief.”
He added that AMSH enjoys a geographical location for its closeness to the Ado-Ekiti airport, making it easier for patients to fly in from any part of the country and outside to access medicare.
“Today, we are also better positioned geographically than ever before. The airport close to us now operates regular flights to Lagos and Abuja. These cities are now within about 30 minutes by air. For patients and families, this changes everything. It means that advanced surgery at AMSH is no longer distant or inconvenient. It means that patients from Lagos, Abuja, and other parts of the country can fly into Ekiti, receive specialist care, and return after recovery.”
The CMD, however, lamented the deplorable condition of the main access road leading to the hospital, noting that no action had followed the several calls made to governments to rehabilitate the road.
“One of the most important is the condition of the main access road to the hospital. A world-class hospital must be easily accessible to patients, emergency vehicles, visiting specialists, and medical tourists.
“We therefore use this opportunity to respectfully appeal to the Government and relevant authorities to urgently address the main access road leading to AMSH. Improving this road will not only support the hospital; it will support patients, families, students, staff, emergency referrals, and the wider economic development of the region.
” Imagine a woman who is nine months pregnant having to ride on a motorcycle through that terrible road just to get to the hospital.
“Imagine what could happen to such a patient. Our people want this road fixed because they come here every day, but they have to endure the dangers of that road
“Healthcare infrastructure does not end with hospital buildings. Roads, airports, power, water, security, and digital connectivity are all part of the health system. When access improves, lives are saved.”
In her remarks, the Vice Chancellor of ABUAD, Prof. Smaranda Olarinde,
expressed delight at the success recorded.
She hailed Aare Afe Babalola for establishing the world-class hospital and for supporting programmes aimed at strengthening the health facility. She equally praised the efforts of the medical team at AMSH for the achievement.
According to her, signing the MoU between AMSH and Manipal Hospitals will further help to curb medical tourism in Nigeria while also providing quality and affordable healthcare in the country.
” Tha Memorandum of Understanding basically summarises the relationship between ABUAD hospital and Manipal hospital for the terms that were stated in the agreement and it promises to improve on our local capacity. It promises to improve the training of our local teams and improve our ability to continue to deliver the highest level of healthcare in AMSH.
” Our ultimate goal is to reduce medical tourism and bring the best healthcare to our people at most affordable rate.”
The VC also expressed regrets over the poor state of the major road leading to the hospital and called on the state and federal governments to rehabilitate it.
She warned that its current condition poses serious risks to patients, other road users and undermines the delivery of quality healthcare.
” I also want to align my voice with that of the CMD and call out again to the governments to look into our roads. The road that leads to the Multi-System hospital, that leads to the industrial park and most importantly that leads to ABUAD university, at the university, we have students from each and every state of Nigeria. Why is the deplorable state of our road? We speak to the state and federal governments to look into this to ensure that we have a decent and motorable road .”
Speaking shortly after the signing of MoU, the Chairman, Urology, Robotic and Renal Transplant, Dr Rajiv Sood, who led the team from the Manipal Hospitals India, recalled during COVID -19 pandemic, that many politicians realised the importance of investing in domestic healthcare across the globe because they could not travel abroad to get medical attention.
“COVID-19 made most politicians in most countries to realise that there may come a time when they cannot travel abroad to seek health care. That shock did bring about the internalisation of focus in health care across the globe and money started coming in and development started happening.
” Doctors can acquire excellence and skills but they are like a plant which before it starts to bear fruits needs a soil and environment to grow and excel. In this multi-system hospital not only have I found a wonderful bunch of doctors, but it has been a joy interacting with an administration that is hundred per cent supportive of programmes and is ever ready to implement anything that is good to its people and to the reputation of the institution.”
