The Nigerian Doctors Forum, South Africa, NDF-SA, has entered into a strategic partnership with leading health institutions and stakeholders to advance a Diaspora Health Impact Initiative aimed at improving healthcare outcomes in Nigeria.
The initiative was formally unveiled at an event jointly organised by NDF-SA and its partners at the Lagos University Teaching Hospital, LUTH, on Monday. The programme was themed “Advancing Diaspora Health Impact Initiative, NDF-SA Programme.”
Partnering stakeholders include LUTH, the Lagos State University Teaching Hospital, LASUTH, General Hospital Ikorodu, the Federal Ministry of Health and Social Welfare, the Nigerians in Diaspora Commission, ExtraLarge Farms & Resorts, the Lagos State Ministry of Health, and Cruxstone Development & Investment Ltd.
President of NDF-SA, Dr. Ayokunle Akanbi, said the initiative was designed to deliver high-impact clinical services, skills harnessing, hands-on upskilling, and sustainable capacity building across three high-need specialty areas.
Akanbi disclosed that the first programme would focus on Uterine Fibroid Embolisation, the second on Neurosurgery, and the third on Gastroendoscopy training, including diagnostic and therapeutic procedures.
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He explained that the week-long engagement, scheduled to run from July 17 to July 25, is targeted at improving healthcare delivery, particularly in Nigeria’s South-West geopolitical zone. The team of visiting experts, he added, would be deployed to LUTH, LASUTH, and General Hospital Ikorodu.
According to Akanbi, the Forum is collaborating with six diaspora medical organisations, the Federal and State Ministries of Health, the Nigerians in Diaspora Commission, the Medical and Dental Council of Nigeria, and the Nigerian Medical Association, among other relevant bodies.
“Our planned programmes were informed by collaborative discussions held over several months of planning between NDF-SA and the host institutions and stakeholders.
“This initiative offers a strategic opportunity to expand specialty care in Nigeria through diaspora-local collaboration, delivering immediate clinical impact, strengthening local capacity, and reducing overseas referrals”, he said.
“The operational plan emphasises ethical patient selection in collaboration with the three host hospitals, ensuring informed consent and adherence to standard care protocols. Diaspora experts will work alongside Nigerian specialists to promote knowledge exchange and continuity of care”, Akanbi further disclosed.
Chief Medical Director of LUTH, Prof. Wasiu Adeyemo, commended the diaspora doctors for returning home with such a laudable initiative, noting that it would expand the knowledge and skills of Nigeria’s healthcare workforce.
Adeyemo, who was represented by the Chairman of the Medical Advisory Committee at LUTH, Prof. Ayodeji Oluwole, assured the Forum of the hospital management’s readiness to support the initiative in every possible way.
“It is encouraging when Nigerian diaspora doctors run programmes like this, because that is the only way we can achieve the exchange of skills and knowledge transfer,” Adeyemo said. “We wish you success in the rest of your engagement days, and we are here to help in any way possible.”
The event also featured goodwill messages from several stakeholders, including the Lagos State Health Service Commission, LASUTH, the Lagos State Ministry of Health, and General Hospital Ikorodu.
Fertility Specialist, Dr. Femi Olarogun delivered a paper on “Uterine Fibroid Embolisation, UFE, for Fibroids.”
Olarogun described UFE as a minimally invasive procedure that shrinks fibroids by blocking their blood supply using tiny injected particles, offering a uterus-preserving alternative to major surgical options such as hysterectomy or myomectomy.
NAN
