By Fatima Mohammed-Lawal
Anaesthetists on the University of Ilorin Teaching Hospital (UITH) have referred to as for sustained funding in workforce coaching and fashionable gear to make sure safer anaesthesia apply.
The anaesthetists made the decision on Friday in Ilorin throughout a sensitisation rally organised as a part of actions to commemorate the 2026 World Anaesthesia Day.
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) studies that the day’s theme is: “Before, During and Beyond Surgery”.
The Head of Department (HOD) of Anaesthesia, UITH, Dr Joshua Oni, mentioned the day, marked each Oct. 16, commemorates the start of recent anaesthesia.
He mentioned the arrival of recent anaesthesia revolutionised surgical procedure and successfully turned it from torture to correct therapy.
Oni mentioned the day was not solely about historical past but in addition a platform to honour all practitioners who make secure anaesthesia potential.
He mentioned this contains doctor anaesthetists, nurse anaesthetists, anaesthetic technicians, and Intensive Care Unit (ICU) nurses.
“This year’s theme highlights the continuum of care provided by anaesthetists from pre-operative assessment to intra-operative care and post-operative pain management and intensive care,” he mentioned.
Oni described anaesthetists as vigilant guardian angels who guarantee most consolation and security for sufferers earlier than, throughout and after surgical procedure, together with painless childbirth, resuscitation, acute ache providers and ICU care.
According to him, public consciousness of the speciality, usually seen as a behind-the-scenes subject, stays low, and plenty of services face extreme shortages of educated personnel and gear.
The knowledgeable referred to as for elevated advocacy and funding to enhance affected person security and surgical outcomes.
Meanwhile, a professor of anaesthesia, Benjamin Bolaji, attributed at this time’s surgical growth to fashionable anaesthesia.
Bolaji, of the Department of Anaesthesia, Faculty of Clinical Sciences, College of Health Sciences, University of Ilorin, defined that anaesthesia has gone past placing sufferers to sleep and waking them up.
According to him, safer medicine and modernised gear that may detect vital incidents have made the speciality safer.
“Anaesthetists provide pain services for cancer pain, low back pain and arthritis, manage critically ill patients in the ICU, and are involved in resuscitation of patients with sudden cardiac arrest,” he mentioned.
Bolaji, nevertheless, defined that not all surgical procedures require common anaesthesia.
He mentioned that with regional anaesthesia, caesarean sections and different decrease limb and pelvic surgical procedures might be carried out painlessly, whereas sufferers stay awake.
In his remarks, the performing Chief Medical Director (CMD) of UITH, Prof. Bilyaminu Abayomi, described the hospital as one in every of Nigeria’s finest in anaesthesia apply.
Abayomi recalled that through the hospital’s early days, it solely had a staff of three specialists.
However, he mentioned the expansion in quantity and high quality of specialists has positioned it among the many finest.
He mentioned earlier than the arrival of anaesthesia, surgical procedure was a terrifying crucible of ache requiring 5 – 6 folks to carry down a affected person.
“Today, surgery is defined by comfort, precision and safety because of anaesthesiology,” he mentioned.
Abayomi recommended anaesthetists for his or her selfless service and silent heroism and warranted the division of administration’s continued assist by way of gear, infrastructure and coaching.
He mentioned the hospital’s administration had directed that every one theatre wants be documented for immediate motion. (NAN)
Edited by Moses Solanke
