Lagos state University Teaching Hospital Gets New CMD

Lagos State University Teaching Hospital (LUTH) has appointed a new Chief Medical Director, Professor Wasiu Adeyemo. The new Chief Medical Director of the Lagos University Teaching Hospital, Idi-Araba, Professor Wasiu Adeyemo, has said his administration will focus on the provision of care for the elderly and improvement in infrastructure at the tertiary hospital.

The CMD also disclosed that he will be establishing a full-fledged Department of Geriatrics in line with the policy directive of the Federal Ministry of Health to tackle communicable and non-communicable diseases affecting the elderly through research.

Prof. Adeyemo said the department when established, will meet the growing demands for the care of the elderly in Nigeria. The LUTH boss said the adult population in Nigeria was increasing, hence, making the demand for the care of the aged to be on the rise.

Speaking with newsmen, the new LUTH CMD, who is a Professor of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery at the College of Medicine University of Lagos and Consultant Oral and Maxillofacial Surgeon in the teaching hospital, also promised to increase the productivity of staff through motivation by training and retraining and also to ensure industrial harmony through participatory engagement with the unions.

Prof. Adeyemo, 54, succeeds Prof. Chris Bode, who completed his two-term tenure in March. The new CMD said the hospital will be providing more housing facilities for students and staff of the institution using the public-private partnership model.

He said, “At the LUTH Idi-Araba Campus, I and my team intend to focus on the establishment of a full-fledged Department of Geriatrics in line with the policy directive of the Federal Ministry of Health.

“The Centre will bridge the gap in geriatric care services and provide a platform for research into priority communicable and non-communicable disorders affecting the elderly.

“Establish a full-fledged Department of Hospice and Palliative Care. Ensure completion of the new outpatient complex presently under construction at Vegetable Garden, opposite the Main Idi-Araba Campus.

“Redesign the current outpatient building to a multi-storey Accident and Emergency Centre to house Adult A & E and Endoscopy Centre. This will alleviate the perennial lack of emergency bed space.”

The Fellow of the International College of Surgeons also said the new management of LUTH will be providing a solution to the menace of drug abuse in the country.

“We intend to focus on the construction of a new Drug Rehabilitation Centre to provide comprehensive care for patients with alcohol and drug-related abuse.

“We shall work with the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency to achieve this. The centre will also accommodate vocational and recreational centres”, he said.

An indigene of Ibadan North-East Local Council of Oyo State, where he had his early education, Prof Adeyemo holds a PhD in Molecular Biology of Law Augmentation, University of Cologne, Germany. He has served as the Chairman, Medical Advisory Committee at the hospital, and prior to becoming the CMAC, he was Deputy CMAC, Research and Training for four years (2014-2018). He was Chairman of the Security Committee of both LUTH and the College of Medicine, University of Lagos, between 2008 and 2014.

Prof. Adeyemo is a Fellow of the National Postgraduate Medical College in Dental Surgery (Oral & Maxillofacial Surgery); a Fellow of the West African College of Surgeons; a Fellow of the International College of Surgeons; Fellow of the Nigerian Academy of Medicine Specialties; a Fellow of the Nigerian Academy of Medicine, and Fellow of the prestigious Nigeria Academy of Science.

Healthwise/S.S