Bauchi teaching hospital performs maiden lesser kidney surgery

Mohammed Kaka

The management of Abubakar Tafawa Balewa University Teaching Hospital (ATBUTH) Bauchi has announced a successful maiden lesser surgery that led to removal of kidney stones from a patient.

The Chief Medical Director (CMD) of the federal tertiary health institution, Dr Jibrin Bara who stated while speaking to newsmen on Wednesday, said that the surgery has to do with the use of endoscopic and laser facilities instead of instruments for surgical procedures to perform the surgery.

The CMD noted that ATBUTH was the first health facility to have laser treatment for kidney stones in the Northeast region.

He pointed out that the hospital now has a full upper tract endoscopic and laser facility that residents and others could access without going abroad.

Dr. Jibrin Bara said that residents would enjoy subsidies considering the high cost of accessing the treatment in hospitals outside the region or Nigeria.

According to him, the achievement recorded will ensure accessing more affordable healthcare and faster recovery for patients.

Also speaking, a Urologist, Dr Evaristus Azobah, said the presence of kidney stones in the human body causes immense pains and discomforts and as such, it becomes necessary to remove them to enable normal activities of life continue unhindered.

He explained that the laser Lithotripsy treatment will save patients the pain of opening up their upper urinary tract during surgery.

Azobah further said that Lithotripsy is a treatment using ultrasound shock waves to break kidney stones into smaller particles that the body can pass out.

He commended the management of the hospital for introducing lesser surgery treatment, saying, it would help in saving the patients cost of treatment.