By; MOHAMMED KAWU, Bauchi
A number of 8,000 suspected COVID-19 samples have so far been processed at the laboratory of Abubakar Tafawa Balewa University Teaching Hospital (ATBUTH) since the establishment of the lab in June 2020, the Chief Medical Director of the hospital, Dr. Jibrin Bara revealed.
He said the laboratory is among the NCDC accredited facility network for COVID-19 testing which has a testing capacity of about 200 suspected samples per day, disclosing further that the facility is being funded from the special COVID-19 intervention fund and ATBU through TETfund.
Dr. Jibrin Bara, at the launching of the Hospital Electronic Medical Records Wednesday in Bauchi said that the laboratory also obtained NCDC certification to diagnose LASSA Fever in the state as well as neighbouring states of Gombe, Yobe, Adamawa, plateau and Jigawa.
According to the medical director, over 1600 suspected Lassa samples were so far processed at the laboratory with Bauchi state accounting for about 1400 samples, Gombe 300, while other states accounts for about 100 samples respectively.
He explained that collaborative researches are equally ongoing in the laboratory, particularly with WHO on COVID-19 and Lassa fever clinical trials, with the Abubakar Tafawa Balewa University and foreign partners from University of Nebraska, Miami school of Medicine, USA and Finishtech University, Cameroon where postgraduate training will be conducted for the award of masters and PhD Degree.
“During COVID-19 pandemic there was total shortage of oxygen supply in the country. The Hospital management deemed it necessary to have an oxygen plant to address the challenge of oxygen in the Hospital. Therefore, some part of the COVID-19 intervention fund was utilized to purchase a cryogenic oxygen plant which can produce liquid oxygen and a capacity of 1600m³ (equivalent to 245 cylinders) of gaseous oxygen par day”.
This, he said, is in addition to the FH1360 which is an USAID funded NGO in collaboration with Federal ministry of health had selected our Hospital to be among the beneficiary of 20,000litres capacity cryogenic liquid oxygen tank which can be utilized to store the excess liquid Oxygen produced, now supplying Medical Oxygen to the entire Northeast region at much lower rate than what is currently obtained in from private suppliers.
Bara also disclosed that the hospital in collaboration with ATBU and Tetfund has equipped its Modular theatre with State-of-the-art Endourology facility supported with 100w Holmium laser and C-arm machine for guidance to facilitate Minimal access intervention for a wide range of benign and malignant pathologies affecting the upper and lower urinary tract including the highly prevalent stone and prostate disease with very lower morbidity.
On In-Vitro Fertilization (IVF), CMD said the hospital is poised to start IVF treatment for infertile couples this year 2023, with set of staff (gynaecologist, Embryologist, and Nurse) currently being trained at NISA Premier Hospital Abuja, while a renowned gynaecologist in the field of infertility and IVF, Dr. Ibrahim Wada is to serve as vising consultant in Obstetrics and Gynaecology to ensure smooth take off and high quality services.
