Expert urges leaders to facilitate liver surgeons’ training

Consultant Surgeon at the Aminu Kano Teaching Hospital, Kano, Dr. Garzali Ibrahim Umar, on Sunday, urged the newly elected leaders in the country to assist in the training and provision of liver surgeons in Nigeria, lamenting that at the moment, the country does not have any.

The surgeon is also the Chairman of the Local Organising Committee for the 2nd Liver Surgery Symposium, an event scheduled to hold Tuesday, June 13, 2023, at the Conference Hall of Aminu Kano Teaching Hospital, Kano State.

In a statement, issued by Hauwa Abdullahi, AKTH Deputy Director, Information, Dr. Umar recalled that in 2021, the Department of Surgery, AKTH, organised a similar symposium on Liver Surgery and top on the communique list was a call to have more Liver Surgeons in Nigeria because patients with liver problems, who required surgical intervention continue to suffer, with many of them unable to afford a trip abroad for treatment.

Ii was noted that such patients were left to languish, hence the continued advocacy to train a liver Surgeon becoming necessary.

According to him, in Aminu Kano Teaching Hospital alone, there are over 10 sub-speciality surgeons in Neurology, Cardiology, and Spine, as well as in Kidney and Repairs of congenital problems, who have been in the hospital and beyond doing their job, and are recording remarkable progress for decades, but there are no Liver surgeons.

He, therefore, called on all Nigerians to assist in promoting and sustaining the crusade until the mission is accomplished.

According to the chairman, the theme of the 2nd Liver Surgery Symposium is, ‘Thus Multidisciplinary Approach to Management of Portal Hypertension’ and many different medical doctors have been invited to brainstorm.

Healthwise/S.S