Kwara State bankrolls free spine surgery

The Kwara State Government has begun free spine surgery for 20 patients at Sobi Specialist Hospital, Ilorin.

The free surgery operation often said to be performed in overseas countries are being carried out freely for the 20 patients.

Declaring the exercise open on behalf of the governor, the Commissioner for Health, Alhaji Kayode Issa, said the free spine surgery, in partnership with Nuvasive Spine Foundation, USA, was in furtherance of effective health care delivery promise made to the electorate, adding that it would cost the government about N140 million.

He said that medical professionals from the state who live in the USA organised three free medical missions, including free screening of Kwara people for non-communicable diseases like diabetes, hypertension in the three senatorial districts of the state last year.

Issa further said that the government, in collaboration with Rotary International had earlier carried out free surgery for about 1,500 people suffering from various types of diseases, and commended the organisers of the free spine surgeries.

According to him, the exercise would improve the health care needs of the patients.

The leader of the medical mission and Chairman of Department of Neurosurgery, University of Queensland, USA, Professor Wale Sulaiman, said that several other patients would also be treated for minor spine problems.

Sulaiman, an indigene of Kwara State, who was accompanied to Nigeria by another personnel from Nuvasive Foundation, Dr. Pitchou Malaba, said beneficiaries of the free spine surgery would be treated with modern and cutting edge equipment.

Malaba stressed that the beneficiaries had earlier been screened by officials of the state government, adding that the spine surgery alone ought to cost about N7 million aside other minor surgeries that would be carried out.

He also, explained that the state government would fund the free surgery, while the Foundation would provide consumables for the operation.