PRESS RELEASE: SURGICAL AID FOUNDATION PARTNERS WITH KELINA HOSPITAL IN 2018 SURGICAL OUTREACH PROGRAMME

The Surgical Aid Foundation (SAF, www.surgicalaidfoundation.org ) is a Non-governmental Organization with a focus on assisting patients gain access to high-tech surgery. SAF is partnering with Kelina Hospital, Gwarinpa, Abuja this October 2018 to bring hi-tech surgeries to our people. By hi-tech surgeries, we mean expensive surgeries that require a lot of technology, which are not commonly available to the general public in this country, such as endoscopic surgery, laparoscopic surgery and laser-based surgery. The rich can travel to any country in the world to have Minimal Access Surgery performed on them. Those who are not so rich are left with us. They equally need help. SAF will be underwriting some bills to make it possible for patients to have these surgeries done in Kelina Hospital between October and November 2018. Kelina Hospital does all these procedures. Kelina was the first hospital in Nigeria to install a laser machine for lithotripsy for kidney stones.

SAF has partnered with Kelina Hospital since 2011. Fifty-eight (58) surgical patients have benefitted from SAF support since 2011, costing SAF N39,600,000.

In 2018, SAF will be sponsoring Minimal Access Surgery for the following problems:

Enlarged Prostate

HoLEP (Holmium Laser Enucleation of the Prostate) will be done using 120 Watts Laser, the latest technology recently acquired by Kelina Hospital. This is the first of this type of laser in Africa. HoLEP was never done in Nigeria before 2018. Only TURP was available for prostate surgery. TURP has so many limitations compared to HoLEP.

Kidney stones

Laser Lithotripsy will be done through flexible uretero-renoscopy.

Huge kidney stones

Percutaneous Nephrolithotomy (PCNL) will be done along with Lithotripsy using the Swiss Lithoclast Master.

Gall stones

Laparoscopic Surgery will be done for gall stones.

Gynaecological Problems, including uterine fibroids, ovarian cysts.

Laparoscopic Surgery will be done on selected patients.

Other forms of Minimal Access Surgery will be considered on a case-by-case basis.

No open surgery will be done in the course of this programme. Only patients who apply and meet the requirements will be done.

We have received over 70 applications from patients this year, who wish to benefit from this programme.

In the past, we have focused on breast cancer and cancer of the cervix. Cancer of the cervix is the most common cancer affecting women in Africa. Early detection is the only way to possible curative treatment. Early detection is possible using the PAP smear. We sponsored 200 patients that responded to our invitation for free PAP smear in 2014, costing SAF N3m.
This year, SAF will be focusing on Prostate Cancer. Prostate cancer is very prevalent in our society. Black people have the highest incidence of prostate cancer in the whole world.

Some of our patients with prostate cancer have not been regular with their Prostate Specific Antigen (PSA) checks. PSA is used to monitor response to treatment. SAF has decided to invite those who would benefit from these tests to come over this October for PSA test free of charge. The test will be quantitative, and so will give us exact level of the PSA. Our current technology can measure PSA levels accurately from any level, even as low as 0.0001 to as high as 5,000. Over 200 patients have indicated interest. SAF will be spending over N3,000,000.00 on PSA tests on individuals, especially the financially challenged, who come to us this October.

The 3rd aspect of the Outreach Programme this year is free dental checks. So far, over 300 people have registered to have a dental check and have been booked for the clinic examination. SAF will be spending over N900,000 on these checks in 2018.

The programme will climax with a Public lecture at the Shehu Musa Yar’Adua Centre, to be delivered by a friend of Kelina Hospital, Prof. Kenneth Ife as the guest speaker and Dr Theophilus Ndubuaku as the Keynote speaker. The special guest of honour will be the Honourable Minister of Health, Prof. Isaac F. Adewole. The programme will be chaired by Prof O. O. Mbonu, an eminent Urologist and former President of the West African College of Surgeons. Professor Okey Mbonu was once the Chairman of the Board, UNTH, Enugu, and also former Chief Medical Director, Nnamdi Azikiwe University Teaching Hospital. We want to use this opportunity to invite the general public to this lecture on November 8, 2018 at 2.00pm.

The 2018 programme will end with the commissioning of the new 120 Watts Holmium laser, recently acquired in Kelina Hospital, by the Honourable Minister of Health, Prof. Isaac F. Adewole also at the Shehu Musa Yar’Adua Centre on November 8, 2018.

Patients interested in any of the listed surgeries or some other form of Minimal Access or laser-based surgery in Urology, General Surgery or Obstetrics and Gyneacology should send an email to info@surgicalaidfoundation.org or programmanagersaf@gmail.com to register.

For more information on our 2018 programme, please visit our website www.surgicalaidfoundation.org. Registration of beneficiaries is ongoing and patients would be required to complete their pre-operative tests one week before surgery.

Surgeons and Healthcare Practitioners who wish to participate in the programme by observing these surgeries are enjoined to contact SAF at +234 708 551 5993. Text messages and e-mails to info@surgicalaidfoundation.org are preferable to phone calls.

Signed:

Abidemi Babatunde
SAF Programme Manager