Chief Medical Director of the National Hospital, Abuja, Dr. Jafaru Momoh, yesterday, disclosed that the hospital has delivered 818 babies through the In-Vitro Fertilisation, IVF, between 1999 and 2019.

 

Addressing newsmen on the 20th-anniversary celebration of the hospital, Momoh also stated that the hospital was able to grow its patients’ carrying capacity to a 450-bed hospital today, compared to a 200-bed capacity at its inception, September 1, 1999. He noted that the National Hospital is now a reference point in IVF, especially with the computerisation of its activities. 

 

He added that 30,094 deliveries had been recorded in the hospital over the last 20 years, while the number of live births stood at 29,065. In addition, under its medical manpower development programme, he stated that the hospital had trained over 168 resident doctors to consultant levels, while it had received and trained over 1,500 interns in various fields over the 20-year period. 

According to him, the National Hospital is now a National Centre of excellence in cancer care, Neonatology, In-Vitro Fertilization, trauma care with a sub-regional level 1 Trauma Center. He said: “The National Hospital started on September 1, 1999, 20 years ago. The hospital started as a 200-bed hospital with approximately 400 staff, with about 30 specialist consultants. Today, the hospital is 450-bed, 2,000 staff, with 120 consultants in various fields. 

 

“We have over the years attended to about 2,345,437 number of out-patients; the number of patients admission stood at 172,783 and the hospital has 155,663 number of discharged patients. “Absolute Neutrophil Count, ANC, is 202,844; the number of road traffic accident patients attended to is 10,909; the number of operation conducted by the hospital amounted to 50,249; the number of radio-diagnostic is 446,951 and the number of hemodialyses is 8,543.” 

 

He further stated that the hospital had reached an agreement with the National Commission for Refugees, Migrants and Internally Displaced Persons on the treatment of IDPs. Momoh explained that the hospital had been treating IDPs free-of-charge even the commission for refugees stepped in. He explained that the National Hospital had made significant progress in the treatment and management of cancer, noting that the hospital is the first in West Africa that has its two radiotherapy equipment that is working simultaneously. He said, “We installed our first equipment two years ago and since then, it has been functional continuously, non-stop, and only had to be shut down for three days for routine maintenance. The second equipment was donated by Shell Nigeria Exploration and Production Company, SNEPCo in collaboration with the NNPC. 

 

That equipment has also been installed, commissioned and licensed, and we have been treating patients with it.” Momoh added that the management of the hospital had structured a department to caution and apportion requisite sanctions to erring staff if reported. He said, “About the attitude of staff, I want to say that in a place where we have over 2,000 staff, you cannot exonerate everybody, but I know that we have very well distinguished staff who have worked sacrificially in the last 20 years, and I want to repeat my commendation to them. 

 

But, we have a disciplinary procedure in place whereby any staff that is found wanting will be made to face disciplinary procedure. “We will enjoin anybody who feels badly treated to report to Servicom. We have suggestion boxes and we have phone numbers on our website so that appropriate actions can be taken. But, we are doing training and retraining of our staff so that the right quality of staff will continue to render qualitative services here to the general public.”