The ATBUTH medical team | Photo: Ahmed Ahmed
‘The laser lithotripsy treatment would save patients the pain of opening up their upper urinary tract during surgery’
By Ahmed Ahmed
Doctors at the Abubakar Tafawa Balewa University Teaching Hospital (ATBUTH), Bauchi have successfully performed its first laser surgery to remove kidney stones.
The Chief Medical Director (CMD) of the hospital, Dr Jibrin Bara, disclosed this in Bauchi on Tuesday November 7, 2023.
Bara explained that laser surgery was a surgery that uses special light beams instead of instruments for surgical procedures.
He said that this was a major breakthrough to the Teaching Hospital and first in the northern Nigeria to have a laser treatment of kidney stones.
“The hospital now had a full upper tract endoscopic and laser facility that residents and others could access without going abroad,” he said.
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According to him, residents would enjoy subsidies considering the high cost of accessing the treatment in hospitals outside the region or Nigeria.
He said that the success of the innovation in the teaching hospital would translate to access to more affordable healthcare and faster recovery for patients.
Alao, Dr Evaristus Azobah, urologist consultant, explained that the presence of kidney stones in the human body could cause immense pain and discomfort.
“It becomes essential to get rid of the stones so that the normal activities of life continue uninterrupted.
“The laser lithotripsy treatment would save patients the pain of opening up their upper urinary tract during surgery,” he said.
He added that lithotripsy is a treatment using ultrasound shock waves to break kidney stones into smaller particles that the body could pass out.
The consultant commended the ATBUTH chief medical director for the introduction of laser surgery treatment in the hospital, saying, “This goes a long way in saving the cost of patients.”
Also, Dr Makama Baje, Head of Department Surgery of the ATBUTH lauded the consultant Urologist for performing the first laser surgery and mentoring other staff in the hospital.
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