L- R: Dr. Yemi Onabowale, Chairman, Duchess Hospital, Prof. Akin
Abayomi, Commissioner for Health, Lagos State and Dr. Tokunbo Shitta-Bey,
Chief Executive Officer Duchess International Hospital, Ikeja, at the
first anniversary celebration of Duchess Hospital on Thursday November 3,
2022.
Duchess International Hospital, Ikeja has marked its first anniversary with
the Chief Executive Officer of the hospital Dr Adetokunbo Shitta-Bey,
reiterating the hospital’s commitment to impacting the lives of all
Nigerians through access to affordable world-class healthcare.
At a well attended ceremony at the Hospital’s main Auditorium on Thursday
November 3, 2022 Dr. Shitta-Bey emphasised the hospital’s priorities to
include : building trust in the healthcare system, providing high-quality,
affordable services to Nigerians and reversing the trend of medical tourism
abroad.
He reaffirmed the affordability of the hospital’s services and further
confirmed that “to register as a patient at the Duchess International
Hospital is ₦5,000, and to have a consultation with a specialist family
physician is also ₦5,000”.
Reflecting on the landmark achievements of the past year, the Duchess
Hospital CEO remarked that the hospital is proud to have successfully
conducted a wide variety of routine and complex specialist interventions
across a range of specialties and sub-specialty clinical services.
These procedures have been conducted in specialties such as Interventional
Cardiology, Cardiothoracic surgery, Neurosurgery, Paediatrics, Obstetrics
and Gynaecology, Orthopaedic surgery, Gastroenterology and Reconstructive
Plastic surgery, including a complex twelve-hour Breast Reconstruction
operation following successful surgical treatment for breast cancer,
performed within the first few weeks of commencing services at the Duchess
International Hospital last year.
“It has been our privilege, in the past year to bring joy and satisfaction
to the lives of ordinary Nigerians, and to restore hope, often in quite
difficult circumstances, through life-saving treatment delivered right here
at the Duchess International Hospital”, Dr. Shitta-Bey stated.
According to him, Duchess Hospital is an affordable hospital for all
Nigerians and a “One-Stop-Shop” for primary, secondary and tertiary care
services, positioned to save Nigerians millions of Naira in medical tourism
for treatment of health conditions which would otherwise have required
medical intervention abroad”.
This assertion was supported by patients’ testimonials delivered at the
occasion, including one from Otunba Alaba Shonibare, who successfully
underwent knee replacement surgery at the Hospital a few months ago.
He spoke passionately about the quality of care he received while on
admission at the hospital and the reasons for his decision to have his knee
replacement surgery performed at the Duchess Hospital in particular.
The highlight of the first anniversary celebration was the goodwill message
and testimonial broadcast from His Excellency, Prof. Yemi Osinbajo, Vice
President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria.
He commended the medical personnel and management of the hospital for their
professional and expert handling of his Orthopaedic surgery procedure,
recently conducted in one of the hospital’s state-of-the-art theatres
saying that the one week post-surgery was “perhaps one of the most
comfortable hospital accommodations anywhere in the world”.
The Commissioner for Health in Lagos State, Prof. Akin Abayomi, who
represented Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu at the event, stated that the Lagos
State government will continue to provide the right policy environment and
infrastructural support for businesses and healthcare facilities to ensure
that Lagos becomes a major destination and hub for healthcare delivery
across sub-Saharan Africa.
He further noted that Lagos State has a strategic initiative to reverse
medical tourism and bring back highly skilled and experienced medical
professionals currently in the diaspora, back to Nigeria.
Professor Abayomi commended the management and staff of the Duchess
International Hospital for their remarkable achievements in the last year
and for the hospital’s immense contribution to delivering access to
affordable quality healthcare to Lagosians.
