Lagos State University Teaching Hospital (LASUTH)

LASUTH CMD DELIVERS THE 6TH ABIMBOLA OMOLOLU MULELE LECTURE; MAKES A COMPELLING CASE FOR CITIZENS\' MIND SET CHANGE AND SUBSEQUENT REVIEW OF NIGERIA\'S ABORTION LAWS TO REDUCE MATERNAL MORTALITY

Thursday 14th Nov, 2024

The Chief Medical Director Of Lagos State University Teaching Hospital And An Astute Professor Of Obstetrics And Gynaecology, Prof. Adetokunbo O. Fabamwo, Said The ??liberalization Of Abortion Laws May Reduce Deaths From Unsafe Abortions In Nigeria�. This Was Said During The 6th Annual Lecture Titled ??The Tortuous Road To Maternal Mortality Reduction In Nigeria, Avoidable Strongholds On Liberal Abortion Laws�, Organized By The University Of Lagos, Office Of Advancement And The Board Of Trustees Of Abimbola Aina Omololu-Mulele, At The Old Great Hall, College Of Medicine, University Of Lagos, Idi-Araba, Lagos On Thursday, The 14th Of November, 2024.

The Annual Lecture Is Held In Honor Of The Late Mrs. Frederica Ambibola Aina Omololu-Mulele, An Educationist, Lawyer, And Philanthropist Par Excellence. She Was The Director And Chairman Of Lodigan (Nig), A Prominent Building Construction Company, And Received Numerous Accolades For Her Contributions To Education From Esteemed Organizations Such As The Nigeria Brazilian Chamber Of Commerce, Nigeria/French Language Village, And The Best Standard International School. She Contributed Significantly To The Progress Of Children At All Levels.

Prof. Adetokunbo O. Fabamwo, The Guest Lecturer For The Day, Delved Into The Complexities Of Reducing Maternal Mortality In Nigeria, Particularly Focusing On The Obstacles Posed By Restrictive Abortion Laws. He Highlighted The Alarming Rates Of Maternal Deaths In Nigeria Due To Unsafe Abortions, Emphasizing The Urgent Need For Reform To Safeguard Women's Health And Well-being. He Defined Maternal Death, According To The World Health Organization (WHO), ??as The Death Of A Pregnant Woman Due To Complications Related To Pregnancy Underlying Conditions Worsened By The Pregnancy Or Management Of These Conditions. This Can Occur Either While She Is Pregnant Or Within Six Weeks Of Resolution Of The Pregnancy.

Prof. Fabamwo Further Revealed That "A Woman Dies Of Pregnancy-related Causes Every Two Minutes, Most Of These Deaths Are Preventable With The Right Care At The Right Time. Unsafe Abortion Accounts For At Least 13 Percent Of Maternal Deaths Worldwide�, He Said.

He Attributed The Prevalence Of Unsafe Abortions In Nigeria To Stringent Abortion Laws That Drive Women To Seek Clandestine Procedures. Despite Efforts To Liberalize Abortion Laws For Safe Terminations, Challenges Persist. He Presented Statistical Data On Maternal Mortality Rates In Various Countries, Illustrating The Disparities And Emphasizing The Importance Of Institutionalizing Safe Abortion Practices For Medical Reasons. He Pointed Out The Efforts Made For The Reduction Of Maternal Mortality In The Form Of Global Initiatives, Country-level Initiatives, Non-governmental Efforts, Community-based Initiatives, And Also Key Interventions By Prominent Individuals.

Prof. Fabamwo Concluded His Lecture By Giving An Expos� On What Unsafe Abortion Laws Entail All Over The World, Such As To Save The Life Of The Mother, To Preserve The Physical Health Of The Mother, And To Preserve The Mental Health Of The Mother In Cases Of Rape Or Incest. He Lamented The Kickbacks Experienced From Efforts Made To Legalize The Safe Termination Of Pregnancy In Nigeria And Some States Like Imo And Lagos.

He, Therefore, Proposed Possible Strategies Regarding The Suspension Of The ??Lagos State Guidelines On Safe Termination Of Pregnancy For Legal Indications�, A 40 Paged Document Launched By The Permanent Secretary Of Lagos State Ministry Of Health, Dr. Olusegun Ogboye, As Engaging Leading And Influential Media Houses, Holding Breakfast Meetings, Luncheons, Having Roundtable Discussions To Ensure That The Public Is Adequately Enlightened On The Matter Till The Goal Of Liberalizing Abortion Laws To Reduce Deaths From Unsafe Abortions, Is Achieved.

Dr. Ayokunle Olumodeji, Fellow Of The National Postgraduate Medical College Of Nigeria And West African College Of Surgeons, An Associate Lecturer At The Lagos State University College Of Medicine (LASUCOM), And A Consultant In Obstetrics And Gynaecology At Lagos State University Teaching Hospital (LASUTH), Won A Grant Award For His Work In " HPV E6/E7 ONCO Protein Rapid Point-Of-Care Test Versus Pap Smear For Cervical Cancer Screening: A Comparative Effectiveness Study", Alongside Dr. Saalu, Tersur, A Senior Registrar In The Department Of Obstetrics And Gynaecology, Lagos University Teaching Hospital (LUTH), Idi-Araba; And A Doctor Of Medicine (MD) Student Of National Postgraduate Medical College Of Nigeria; Who Also Won A Grant Award For His Work Title, ??Serum Concentration Of Fat-Soluble Vitamins A, D, E And K In Endometriosis And Non-Endometriosis Women And Association With Endometriosis - Related Pain: A Comparative Cross-Sectional Study In Lagos,�Nigeria.�

Signed:
LASUTH Management

MEET THE CHIEF MEDICAL DIRECTOR

Prof. Adetokunbo O. Fabamwo

Chief Medical Director

I became DCST/CMAC in 2001, that is, 19 years ago when Dr. Olugbile was the Chief Medical Director. We were saddled with the responsibility of moving the hospital from being just a general hospital to a tertiary institution which LASUTH has become. I visited the DCST of LUTH at that time, Prof. Arigbabu and Prof. Malomo at the University of Ibadan to compare notes and seek advice on how to effectively deliver on the job I had been assigned.

We forged relationships with the Members of the Lagos State College of Medicine and absolved some of them into LASUTH as honorary consultants, though the Lagos State Government (LASG) wasn't very confident of that arrangement because they thought the frequent ASUU strikes that prevailed at that time would affect the activities at the hospital, but we overcame the challenges and the attendant issues that came with it.

We had to put in place systems and structures that would help the hospital move away from a general hospital status to a tertiary institution. We had Ayinke house already which was a standard in its own right. We also had the old ICU, BT Wards, then came the Pediatric wards. As we progressed, and developed, situation started changing and now we have the new Ayinke house, the new BT wards and BT lab.

More Speech
Experience So Far
Aspiration

We moved on to getting accreditation for our clinical programmes; while at it, the Ministry of Health gave LASUTH some funds to upgrade our services. We invited the different accrediting Colleges; for some we got partial accreditation while for some others we got full accreditation one of which was for Obstetrics & Gynaecology where we did not only have full accreditation, but also had a fellow in person of Dr. Oyedele.

We also had to deal with some attitudinal lapses in the staff. We had to start some series of trainings, symposia and teachings to re-orientate staff on how they relate with the different publics of the hospital. A lot of work has gone into that and I believe we are making progress, gradually.

Fortunately for me, LASUTH has always been a part of me so, I'm not in a strange territory. For many years I have been a Prof. of Obstetrics & Gynaecology at the College of Medicine and Consultant for Obstetrics & Gynaecology at the Ifako Ijaiye General Hospital.

My predecessor has done a good job to take LASUTH to where it is today, but we still have a lot of work to do. First of all, the issues at the Operating Suites in the Theatres had to be hurriedly addressed. As we speak, a lot has been done and will still be done because it's an on-going project.

We have a good relationship with the State Government and with the help of the current Head of Service, Mr. Akeem Muri Okunola who tabled the issue of getting more staff in the hospital before the Executive Governor and approval was given for the recruitment of 120 Resident Doctors who have started work.

We noticed that many academic staff of the College have qualified to be appointed as honorary consultants, now that our subvention has been increased, we can now put that into consideration.

Generally, the position of the Chief Medical Director of LASUTH is really hands-on and I have been encouraged by the staff from various Departments. They have been cooperative and that has made the job easier

I believe that LASUTH has the capacity to be a quaternary institution which means moving beyond being a tertiary institution and how do we get there? We have earmarked avenues through which we can do more. Some of which include; Gradually developing the emergency unit to become a training institute or school where we train Doctors to become Emergency Doctors and nurses.

We will institutionalize our Renal Transplant Services by having more foreign missions and also have our doctors visit hospitals abroad to learn and bring back what they have learnt to train others here in LASUTH.

Developing more Doctors to becoming embryologists and IVF doctors through the Institute of Fertility Medicine here in LASUTH. We plan to develop schools in Occupational Therapy, such that our Psychiatry Department can use the skills acquired in the rehabilitation of patients.

The Lagos State University Teaching Hosp...

‎The Lagos State University Teaching H...

‎The Lagos State University Teaching H...

PROF. ADETOKUNBO O. FABAMWO
CHIEF MEDICAL DIRECTOR

PROF. ADEBOWALE ADEKOYA
DIRECTOR, CLINICAL SERVICES & TRAINING

MRS OLAYINKA M. OYE-BAMGBOSE
DIRECTOR, HOSPITAL ADMINISTRATION & HUMAN RESOURCE

MRS RALIAT HASSAN
DIRECTOR, FINANCE AND ACCOUNT

DR. TEMITOPE SIKIAYE
DIRECTOR OF NURSING SERVICES

Prof. Adetokunbo O. Fabamwo

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MEET THE CHIEF MEDICAL DIRECTOR