…As LUTH/SCFN, NNPC, Chevron unveil Flow Cytometer to cure sickle cell patients
Rebecca Ejifoma
The Vice Chancellor of the University of Lagos (UNILAG), Prof Folasade Ogunsola has commended the Lagos University Teaching Hospital (LUTH) for the quality services and infrastructure in place, as she promised to collaborate with the hospital.
The VC made this remark during her working visit with her team to the College of Medicine and LUTH, Idi-Araba in Lagos on Wednesday.
Ogunsola, who appreciated the CMD of LUTH for the remarkable initiative in the hospital, beckoned Nigerians to visit the facility.
“What we are seeking at LUTH is that we will continually move into the future. I would love to invite everyone in the public space who hasn’t been to LUTH to come and change their minds here. LUTH works and I want to commend them,” she emphasised.
According to Ogunsola, she is hopeful that her visit would further strengthen the relationship between the college and the hospital. She emphasised: “Over the years, there has been some drift but what I’m hoping that with my visit we are supposed to be one.”
During her visit to the college, the VC met with all heads of departments to get first-hand information on their activities and assure them of support and collaboration.
“In the area of research, clearly there is a lot of collaboration between the college and LUTH in the area of health.”
On his part, the Chief Medical Director of LUTH, Prof Chris Bode lauded the VC for her particular interest in prevention and control.
Earlier, the SCFN/LUTH brought succour to sickle cell patients after it unveiled the Flow Cytometer at the state-of-the-art Bone Marrow Transplant centre to curb medical tourism in Nigeria and Africa
This major equipment in the Stem Cell Processing Laboratory of this Bone Marrow Transplant Centre aims to cure these patients for safe, quality and more affordable bone marrow transplantation.
The Dir/CEO of SCFN, Dr Annette Akinsete, in her presentation, said “On behalf of the Top Management Committee of the Sickle Cell Foundation Nigeria/LUTH BMT Centre.
“It has been over 10 years since we embarked on this BMT journey, starting with our partnership with the Mediterranean Institute of Haematology, Rome; whereby nearly 50 Nigerian children travelled to Rome and were successfully transplanted, free of charge.”
She further expressed profound appreciation to NNPC/CHEVRON JV for making this feat a reality. Akinsete added, “When we reached out to you in 2021, it was a shot in the dark guided by faith.
“Fortunately, we got a response – shaky at first I might add, until we somehow convinced a team to visit us at the centre.”
According to the director, they received a “Beautiful letter from Chevron on 25th October 2021, stating their donation of N39,650m for the Flow Cytometer (although eventually, the cost of the equipment rose to N47m – due to the depreciation of the Naira)”.
