Tunde Olofintila
The famous Afe Babalola University, Ado-Ekiti (ABUAD) Multi-system Hospital, Ekiti State reverberated recently at the Obafemi Awolowo Leadership prize presentation. That day, Ekiti State Governor, Dr. John Kayode Fayemi, reeled out the positives of the hospital, which he said was the best of its kind in Nigeria.
He said the quantum of the state-of-the-art medical facilities the hospital has, which gives it the impetus to renders world class medical and allied services, stand it out. He was talking about five modular theatres equipped with pneumatic tubes and other specialist equipment, including: SPEC Scan, CT SCAN, MRI and Ultrasound Scan/X-ray.
The hospital also has such surgical specialties as General surgery, paediatric surgery, plastic, nature urology, orthopedics, neuro-surgical specialties, cancer surgery (oncology), endocrine surgery while it has been named Africa Centre for Help Babies Survive (HBS Programme) and also Africa Centre for Chronic Dialysis Centre
In addition, the centre trains students and mothers in helping mothers to survive, cervical cancer screen (CCS)/ breast cancer screen (BCS), colon cancer screen (CCS), prostrate cancer screen/ colon cancer screen.
In order to add international flavour to the nation’s health care delivery, teaching, training and research, the hospital has entered into partnership with some reputable players in the global heath industry, such as the world renowned Abbot Laboratories, Aster Hospital, Dubai, Project C.U.R.E., USA, Narula, India, JNC International, Trigenesis India, College of Pharmacy, Howard University, USA and Bridge of Life (BOL) USA, as well as Johns Hopkin Hospital, USA.
The place of the multi-system hospital has been corroborated by top rate medical educators, like Prof. Isaac Folorunso Adewole, Minister for Health, who said: “This hospital will offer us what we hitherto believe cannot happen in this country. It will also improve the poor health indicators in Nigeria. With what I have seen here today, this hospital matches the best in the world and it will certainly put an end to medical tourism outside Nigeria.”
The immediate past Chief Medical Director, CMD, University Teaching Hospital, UCH, Ibadan, Prof. Temitope Alonge, on his part, said: “I have worked in many hospitals, both here in Nigeria and in Europe. This hospital beats most hospitals I have worked in Europe. This surely will be the answer to outward medical tourism. With what is here in this hospital, there is no reason any of our doctors should want to go abroad for their Sabbatical. All they need is here.”
Speaking on the award, Fayemi said he was not oblivious of the fact that there was an interregnum of four years after former South African President, Mr. Thambo Mbeki, carted home the coveted Prize in 2014, perhaps because the Obafemi Awolowo Foundatiom did not find someone deserving of the Award for those four years.
According to him, that Babalola was counted worthy of the award for 2018 makes it the more worthy of celebration, adding that ”the award has really gone to the deserving after the four-year interregnum..
He expressed his satisfaction that even though the Obafemi Awolowo Leadership Prize was an annual event, the Awolowo Foundation has not given it out in the last four years, a development which he said will continue to lend credibility to the Award.
He commended the Obafemi Awolowo Foundation for appreciating the profound contributions Babalola, a prized son of Ekitiland and Nigeria, in education, particularly through his increasingly famous nine-year old Afe Babalola University, Ado-Ekiti, where he is raising a new generation of altruistic and patriotic leaders.
Comparing the late Chief Awolowo and Babalola, he said: “Awo and Aare Afe Babalola have so many things in common: They both grew up the hard way. They went through the crucible and that is why the both cherish education and the made significant contributions to it. Both of them trained themselves because there was no help from anywhere. They would not give up and that was why they went to England (at different times) to study to become great in life.”