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• Oncology centre fully operational, ranks No. 1 in South-South –CMD
From Ighomuaye Lucky, Benin
The Federal Government has strengthened emergency and trauma care at the University of Benin Teaching Hospital (UBTH) with the delivery of an advanced ambulance capable of providing critical medical interventions to accident victims before they arrive at the hospital.
Chief Medical Director (CMD) of UBTH, Prof. Idia Ize-Iyamu, who described the ambulance as a “mobile theatre,” said the facility would enable medical personnel to commence life-saving treatment while critically injured patients were being evacuated from accident scenes.
The ambulance was formally handed over to the hospital in Benin on Monday by Edo State Deputy Governor, Dennis Idahosa, on behalf of the Federal Government.
The intervention came as Ize-Iyamu disclosed that UBTH’s oncology centre had become fully operational, describing it as the leading cancer treatment facility in the South-South.
She said the centre, equipped with a Linear Accelerator (LINAC) and a 16-slice CT scanner, had significantly strengthened the hospital’s capacity for cancer diagnosis and targeted radiotherapy.
On the new ambulance, the CMD said it would be stationed at the hospital’s Accident and Emergency Unit and deployed to evacuate accident and trauma victims.
“What that does is that it helps us in evacuating cases of trauma from the site to where they will receive care, which is UBTH.
“Before they get to the site of care, a lot of interventions can be done within that ambulance. That is why we say it is a working theatre,” Ize-Iyamu said.
She explained that the equipment in the vehicle would allow healthcare workers to commence critical interventions during transportation, potentially improving the survival chances of seriously injured patients.
According to her, UBTH receives trauma and other emergency cases from Edo and other parts of the country, making the ambulance a significant addition to its emergency response capacity.
Ize-Iyamu commended President Bola Tinubu, Coordinating Minister of Health and Social Welfare, Prof. Muhammad Ali Pate, and the House Committee on Health for facilitating the intervention.
She also applauded Idahosa for his role in attracting Federal Government health interventions to the hospital, including the oncology centre, while he served in the House of Representatives.
“We know what role you played and how you influenced it to come to Edo State at the University of Benin Teaching Hospital,” she told the deputy governor.
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The CMD said the oncology centre, one of three major facilities of its kind established in the country, was now 100 per cent operational.
According to her, the facility’s LINAC and CT scanner allow specialists to simulate patients’ lesions before targeted radiotherapy treatment.
She said the Federal Government’s Cancer Health Fund was also helping indigent patients access treatment.
“With the Cancer Health Fund, if you are poor, you can receive radiotherapy at the University of Benin Teaching Hospital, courtesy of this administration,” she said.
Ize-Iyamu, however, appealed for greater investment in the hospital’s infrastructure, noting that the more than 50-year-old tertiary institution required substantial renewal and replacement of ageing facilities.
Presenting the ambulance, Idahosa said the intervention originated from efforts to improve emergency medical services while he served as Chairman of the House of Representatives Committee on Healthcare Services.
He said discussions with Pate on the need to strengthen emergency response subsequently resulted in the approval of the intervention, with UBTH selected as one of the beneficiaries.
“The Minister instructed and insisted that I should be the one to hand over this ambulance to UBTH,” Idahosa said.
He said the facility would improve the evacuation and early management of accident and trauma victims by allowing critical care to commence before patients reached the hospital.
The deputy governor commended Tinubu and Pate for the intervention and appealed to the Federal Government to provide more modern equipment and projects for UBTH.
He said the Edo State Government’s SHINE Agenda aligned with the Federal Government’s Renewed Hope Agenda, particularly in expanding access to quality healthcare.
Idahosa also expressed appreciation to UBTH management for the care given to his late mother before her death.
The deputy governor and the CMD later inspected the Accident and Emergency, oncology, investigation and geriatric units of the hospital, as well as other facilities and ongoing projects.
They also took a ride in the new ambulance, during which Chairman of UBTH’s Medical Advisory Committee, Dr. Emmanuel Osaigbovo, demonstrated its emergency equipment and functions.
