Posted by By Jamilah Nuhu, Daily Trust (Abuja) on
Former first lady Hajiya Dr. Maryam Sani Abacha has donated laparoscopic equipment worth about N25m to the Aminu Kano Teaching Hospital (AKTH), Kano.
Former first lady Hajiya Dr. Maryam Sani Abacha has donated laparoscopic equipment worth about N25m to the Aminu Kano Teaching Hospital (AKTH), Kano.
Hajiya Maryam Sani Abacha said that the donation was meant for use by the people of Kano State to enhance their health status.
The former first lady, who was represented by her son, Alhaji Mohammed Sani Abacha at the formal presentation of the machine, expressed optimism that the equipment would be judiciously used.
Earlier in a statement signed by the press and public relations officer of the family and made available to Daily Trust at the AKTH, Hajiya Maryam Abacha stated that the donation was aimed at salvaging women and children in need of medical attention.
The statement said that the former first lady believed that there was also the need to further enlighten women to take precautionary measures against ailments that torment them in their communities.
Hajiya Abacha noted that the necessary authorities should explain to women the importance of getting medical attention in early stages to avoid complications or prolonged treatment. She therefore called on non-governmental organizations to play an effective role in salvaging the plight of women and children nationwide.
Responding, the chief medical director (CMD) of AKTH, Dr. Abdulhameed Isa Dutse, expressed gratitude to the Abacha family for the laparoscopic equipment, stressing that the machine is used for 'key hole surgery', unlike the conventional open surgery where the patient was cut open.
Dr. Dutse explained that the procedure involves the pumping of air into patients' stomachs to separate the intestines from the stomach wall through specialized surgical equipment: then surgeons can locate the focal point and then operate upon, adding that the donations would bring AKTH to the world map as the new concept had began in other parts of the world since the 80s.
In his own comment, the board chairman of AKTH, Alhaji Ahmed G. Hassan, stated that Hajiya Maryam Abacha had not only donated the machine to AKTH, but to humanity.