Renowned Nigerian paediatric surgeon, Professor Oluyinka Olutoye, has visited the construction site of the New Massey Children’s Specialist Referral Hospital in Lagos, as the state government seeks to attract highly skilled Nigerian medical professionals practising abroad. Olutoye, Surgeon-in-Chief at Nationwide Children’s Hospital in Columbus, Ohio, United States, visited the facility…...
Renowned Nigerian paediatric surgeon, Professor Oluyinka Olutoye, has visited the construction site of the New Massey Children’s Specialist Referral Hospital in Lagos, as the state government seeks to attract highly skilled Nigerian medical professionals practising abroad.
Olutoye, Surgeon-in-Chief at Nationwide Children’s Hospital in Columbus, Ohio, United States, visited the facility on Thursday alongside his wife, Professor Toyin Olutoye, a paediatric anaesthesiologist and Anesthesiologist-in-Chief at Ann & Robert H. Lurie Children’s Hospital of Chicago.
The visit was disclosed by Lagos State Commissioner for Health, Professor Akin Abayomi, in a statement shared via social media on Thursday, October 15.
Abayomi said the visit provided an opportunity to engage the renowned surgeon on the state’s plans to establish the New Massey Hospital as a regional referral centre for specialised paediatric care.
He described Olutoye as one of the Nigerian medical specialists the state hopes to attract back to contribute to healthcare delivery.
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“These are the Nigerian medical super-specialists we want to attract back to Lagos. We want our brains back in Nigeria, but government must be intentional about it,” the commissioner said.
Olutoye is internationally recognised for co-leading a 2016 operation in which surgeons removed a life-threatening tumour from an unborn baby before returning the foetus to the womb to continue developing.
Recounting the procedure, Abayomi said, “An unborn baby with a life-threatening tumour. A surgeon who lifted her from the womb, removed the tumour and returned her to her mother’s womb to continue developing until she was born a healthy baby girl weeks later. Amazing!”
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The commissioner said Olutoye had pledged his full support for Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu’s vision of developing the new hospital into a regional referral centre, reducing the need for Nigerian families to travel abroad to access specialised paediatric treatment.
The visit was also attended by Dr Cecilia Mabogunje, Chair of the New Massey Operationalisation Committee, and Dr Olanike Olutekunbi, Medical Director of the existing Massey Street Children’s Hospital.
The planned 150-bed facility will feature dedicated paediatric and neonatal intensive care units, alongside specialised medical and surgical services.
It is also expected to support the training of future paediatricians and other medical specialists while facilitating international research collaborations.
Abayomi further disclosed that the Lagos State Smart Health Information Platform (SHIP), which is under development, would enable Nigerian medical specialists based abroad to participate virtually in clinical care in Lagos.
He urged medical professionals excelling overseas to consider contributing their expertise to the state’s healthcare system.
“To every Nigerian medical professional excelling abroad: Lagos is building. Come and see,” he said.