Spine & Nerve Center Unveils Nigeria’s First Non-Surgical Facilities

•As FG gives thumps up to commencement of operations

Kasim Sumaina in Abuja

Spine and Nerve Center in an audacious move has officially unveiled Nigeria’s first non-surgical spinal decompression centre in the country.

To this end, noted that the center, which commenced operation on the 1st of December 2024, will serve patients from Nigeria from the Nation’s capital, Abuja.

In his brief remarks at the inauguration, The Clinical Director and co-founder of the Spine and Nerve Centre, Dr. Craig Slapinski, hinted that the facility was designed to enhance access to advanced healthcare services across the country.

According to him, “I have an office in Accra. And so I was getting lots and lots of Nigerians that were travelling to Accra for the treatment. And so we looked at Abuja as the next logical place to open up another location. In the next two years, we are opening up more locations.”

While commending governments efforts, particularly in terms of licensing and regulatory approvals, Slapinski; however acknowledged the high demand for the centre’s services and the need for expansion.

His words: “We are working closely with various ministers. The Minister of Health and the Minister of Petroleum have all been really instrumental in helping us getting all of our licenses, getting everything approved for what we are doing. So that’s been what we’re working on.

“Well, the main problem that I see happening is the volume of people that we are having coming in. There is a lot of people that are looking at the treatment and our expansion is in getting enough staff and equipment and hiring another doctor to come to Abuja.

“This centre will provides non-surgical alternatives for patients suffering from chronic pain, offering an option beyond surgery and long-term medication use.

“We are just letting people know that there is an alternative to surgery, to chronic pain medication. And letting them know that there is hope elsewhere,” He said.

Similarly speaking, the Minister of Health, Muhammad Pate, said that fortunately, the facilities came at the right time, so government thank the management and together, both government and management will work as a team.

According to him, Certainly, because our president, Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s Renewed Hope Agenda on Health and this is one of the cardinal points. “So it comes here at the right time when Nigeria will be able to appreciate and enjoy the services of this centre.

The Minister, represented by the Director of Hospital Services at the ministry, Salaudeen Jimoh, said: “We are here to represent the entire family of the Federal Ministry of Health. We are all interested in what is going on here as soon as we can commence operations. I also want to thank the entire management that is here.

“All the sectors of Nigeria that are here standing to represent this country are here just because they are all interested in seeing the kind of services that are coming out from here. So we thank the management, especially Slapinski, for considering Nigeria as a country that will do this kind of project.”

Pate, however explained that the opening of the centre aligns with President Bola Tinubu’s Renewed Hope Agenda on Health, which prioritises improved healthcare access for Nigerians.