BAUCHI GOVERNOR SEEKS WIDER ACCESS TO CHILDREN’S SURGICAL CARE

Bauchi State Governor, Bala Mohammed, has urged paediatric surgeons to expand specialised healthcare services to underserved communities, particularly rural areas, to improve access to surgical care for children.

Mohammed made the call at the 25th Annual Conference and Annual General Meeting of the Association of Paediatric Surgeons of Nigeria in Bauchi. He was represented by the state Commissioner for Health, Sani Dambam.

The governor described children as one of the most vulnerable groups and stressed the importance of early intervention and access to specialised healthcare in protecting their health and development.

He said stronger collaboration among government institutions, professional associations, teaching hospitals, universities, development partners and private organisations was necessary to improve paediatric surgical services.

Mohammed also called for sustainable specialist training, mentorship, research and the adoption of appropriate technologies to improve surgical outcomes.

He urged participants to strengthen primary healthcare systems while developing ways to make specialised surgical services more accessible and affordable to children living outside major urban centres.

Speaking at the event, APSON President, Prof. Roland Osuoji, said the association had conducted medical and surgical outreaches in Bauchi ahead of the conference.

He said 1,537 patients were attended to during the outreach, while about 208 surgical procedures, including complex operations, were performed.