Doctors in charge of Vice President Yemi Osinbajo’s care at the Duchess International Hospital, Ikeja, Lagos, have said he is making good and steady progress.
On July 16, Osinbajo had a successful surgery on his thigh bone at the hospital.
Chief Executive Officer of the hospital, Adetokunbo Shitta-Bey, who gave the update, yesterday, said the vice president was expected progress.
“He is model patient; we have been able to observe in very close quarters, the very essence of the man. He is very compliant, listens to advice and as such he is able to make the sort of progress that we expect. He is undergoing physiotherapy as part of his rehabilitation process.
“The multidisciplinary team that has been involved with his care have been very pleased with the progress that he is making,” he said.
Responding to a question about affordability of the hospital and quality of service, Shitta-Bey said services at the facility were not expensive and not out of the reach of many Nigerians.
He commended the vice president for the choice of patronising a local hospital rather than embarking on medical tourism for a service that was available locally.
Shitta-Bey said the affordability of the facility was among the reasons the vice president chose to have a medical procedure here in Nigeria.
He also spoke on taking deliberate steps to check capital flight as a result of medical tourism.
According to him, it is really important to have a range of services that will keep money and expertise within this country.
On his part, the Medical Director of the hospital, Adedoyin Dosunmu-Ogunbi, said Osinbajo was making steady progress.
“He is walking already, taking a few steps. You can imagine after a major surgery in his right femur bone; that is very encouraging as he continues to recover.”
The medical director called for urgent reforms to revitalise healthcare delivery in Nigeria, noting that the sector in Nigeria is highly under resourced.
“All public officials in Nigeria should have their healthcare in Nigeria. If the treatment is available in Nigeria, then they should get it in Nigeria. And in many cases, it is available, but if we do not have such services available in Nigeria then they can get it elsewhere,” he said.