Kano residents expressed delight over first brain surgery

A team of surgeons in Kano has recorded a major breakthrough recently by conducting first and successful brain surgery in the state. The surgery was conducted last week on Malam Iliyasu Abubakar at Muhammadu Buhari Specialists Hospital Giginyu, one of the two hospitals commissioned by president Buhari in September 2018. The team of surgeons consists […]

A team of surgeons in Kano has recorded a major breakthrough recently by conducting first and successful brain surgery in the state.

The surgery was conducted last week on Malam Iliyasu Abubakar at Muhammadu Buhari Specialists Hospital Giginyu, one of the two hospitals commissioned by president Buhari in September 2018.

The team of surgeons consists Dr Shu’aibu Dambatta, Dr Atiku, Dr Musa, Dr Hassan and Dr Musbahu all from Kano state.

Chronicle sampled opinions of Kano residents on the recent development and many of those who spoke to our reporter, however, expressed delight on the epoch making surgery in the state.

Alhaji Yahaya Danzabuwa, a vehicle spare parts dealer, said “I am really happy that something like this could happen in Kano. May Allah guide them to do more.

“This is a real development, so long as it will be sustained. I pray for Allah’s blessings in it and I hope they will sustain it,” he added.

Malama Fatima Halliru, a restaurant worker, said she is happy that such a complicated surgery could be successfully done in Kano. She however expressed fear that it could be beyond the reach of low income earner.

“Honesty, poor man cannot afford to pay for brain surgery unless he is assisted. So I called on government to help the poor person that requires something like that,” she said.

Another respondent, Aliyu Sani Daddarawa, from Tsanyawa Local Government of Kano state, said “I heard the story on radio and I am happy.

This is what we used to hear from foreign countries, and here comes the time that we witness it in our city. It is a wonderful development.”

“We are proud of this government that brought this development, we
thank them and we pray to God to reward them and give them the courage to do more,” he added.

Mr Emmanuel Benjamin, a cooking gas trader, said, “I am happy that it is happening now, but this is something that should have happened long ago, because we have the qualified doctors. Our problem is that governments are not showing interest and commitment in supplying the needed facilities for the doctors to operate effectively.”

Benjamin added that most of the ailments that take people abroad can be treated here as there are many qualified doctors just like those they are meeting at the foreign countries. He said his hope is that government should have the interest of its people at heart.

On her part Jennifer Samuel, a Kano resident, said it is great that brain surgery can be done here instead of taking people abroad. “So, I see it as a progress and even the white men will respect us if we can handle our problems by ourselves,” she added.

Speaking when Governor Abdullahi Umar Ganduje visited him in the hospital, the patient Iliyasu Abubakar while recounting his ordeals, said “I had been suffering from this problem for the past 26 years. I was involved in car accident and since then my brain was not the same again.

“I and my family we suffered a lot by going from one place to another in search of medication. The last hospital we went, gave me an appointment of 11 months after which a surgery would be conducted on me.

“We decided to contact this Muhammadu Buhari Specialist Hospital, which we heard the Kano state government has so much boasts of. Within the shortest period of time I was invited. And after surgical procedures were carried out, then the surgery was conducted. Not only conducted, but it was successfully conducted. Alhamdulillah.”

“Before now I found it very difficult to sleep, but after the surgery I slept continuously for a straight more than seven or eight hours.”

Also, his mother and wife Furera Ali and Sadiya Iliyasu Abubakar, both commended Ganduje for the giant edifice and prayed for his victory and that of President Buhari in the forthcoming elections.

During the visit, Dr Ganduje was briefed about the surgery by the leader of the team, Dr Shuaibu Dambatta.

Dr Dambatta said, “The patient had an eleven 11 months appointment with another hospital before he came to us and agreed to conduct the surgery on him.”

He said the surgery was conducted free of charge, noting that “The family of the patient purchased only the prescribed drugs. So we are all happy that we conducted the first open brain surgery in Kano. And it was very successful. Alhamdulillah.”

In his remarks, Ganduje, with an excited voice said “We are delighted and very much impressed with this development. This proves clearly that when government is serious about anything, that thing can be achieved successfully.”

“We are ever thankful to Almighty Allah for making our dream true.
When President Muhammadu Buhari was commissioning this giant Specialist Hospital, we revealed to the hearing of all, that, it would not be run solely by government. We wanted to make it under Public Private Partnership (PPP) arrangement.

“Where there will be no strike from the staff and the management would tally with the global best practice. This is the result of our people-centred thinking,” Ganduje reminded.