The Medical Director, Kelina Hospital, Dr Celsus Undie, says the hospital has performed 250 minimally invasive prostrate surgeries to reduce kidney damage, kidney failures and other life-threatening complications.
Undie, a Consultant Urological Surgeon, said this during a news conference in celebration of 15-years anniversary of the hospital on Saturday in Lagos.
He said that the feat which was achieved in the last four-years utilized the Holmium Laser Enucleation of the Prostate (HoLEP) procedure for benign prostatic hyperplasia.
Benign prostatic hyperplasia also known as enlarged prostate is a age-associated condition in men in which the prostate gland is enlarged, and not cancerous.
The enlarged prostate may block or slow the passage of urine from the urethra, thereby cause damage to the kidney, kidney failure, bladder stones or other complications.
The surgeon said that about 20 per cent of men would develop benign prostatic hyperplasia in their 50s, while increasing to 70 per cent by the time they reach 70 years of age.
He noted that HoLEP is the most common surgery done in the facility.
According to him, the type of prostates seen in Nigeria are big that transurethral resection of the prostate (TURP) is not the best procedure for them.
According to him, TURP cannot remove enough prostate, and the patients may need to return to theatre again in the future and also have to be on catheter for longer times after the procedure.
TURP is a surgical procedure that involves cutting away a section of the prostate, while HoLEP is a minimally invasive treatment that uses a laser to remove tissue that is blocking urine flow through the prostate.
The urologist said that the American Urological Association and the European Association of Urology both recommend HoLEP as the best for prostates that are more than 80 to 100 grams in size.
“Performing 250 HoLEP surgeries for patients with prostate problems without giving blood to more than a handful of them is a big deal.
“One of those prostates measured 550 grams in size. Nothing apart from HoLEP or open surgery can handle that. But we did it safely with HoLEP,” he said.
Undie said that most of these surgeries do not require blood transfusion, unlike conventional surgeries which might require several pints of blood for the same procedure.
He noted that it was wrong for Nigerians to travel overseas for surgeries that could be done locally, saying it was a waste of foreign exchange and a disservice to specialists in the country.
He noted that aside from urological and general surgery procedures, which are the hospital’s main focus, Undie said they receive patients for laparoscopic cholecystectomy for gall stones and knee replacement surgery (Orthopaedics).
Others are laparoscopic hysterectomy for uterine fibroids(Gynaecology); Endoscopic Sinus Surgery (ENT), noting that the hospital has expertise in specialties like obstetrics, nephrology, cardiology, anaesthesia, gastroenterology, among others.
Highlighting the hospital’s success, Undie said it had performed over 5,000 surgical operations on 5,000 citizens in 15 years without a single patient dying in its theatre since inception, saying, ‘it is a big deal.’
“In 2012, the Federal Government of Nigeria recognized our efforts by awarding us a Pioneer Status in Minimally Invasive Surgery.
“In 2015, we started aiming for infection-free surgery by the use of Plasma Sterilization for our endoscopes.
“In 2012, we went on record as the first hospital to perform laparoscopic radical prostatectomy in Nigeria. Both patients that had the first surgeries are still alive and well.
“In 2011, we were also on record as the first hospital in Nigeria to perform Percutaneous Nephrolithotomy(PCNL) and Laser Lithotripsy for Kidney Stones in Nigeria,” he said.
On challenges affecting its operations, Undie listed lack of access to foreign exchange, poor electricity, depreciation of the naira, saying that the hospital purchased foreign exchange at black market rate for equipment procurement.
Undie appealed to the Federal Government to prioritize health, education and security to deepen socio-economic development in the country.
Kelina Hospital operates from two facilities in Victoria Island, Lagos and Gwarimpa, Abuja.
