The Asaba Specialist Hospital has started the process of securing full accreditation from the West African College of Surgeons (WACS) for its Obstetrics and Gynaecology Department. This move will enable the hospital to train resident doctors and strengthen its specialist medical workforce. The accreditation exercise involved a team from WACS inspecting facilities and equipment in the department, touring consulting rooms, and interacting with resident doctors.
The Chief Medical Director of the hospital, Dr. Peace Ighosewe, stated that the accreditation was necessary due to the growing difficulty in recruiting specialist doctors amid the increasing brain drain in the health sector. She mentioned that the department had made significant progress in meeting the requirements for accreditation, including providing facilities for non-invasive gynaecological procedures such as hysteroscopy and colposcopy.
According to Dr. Ighosewe, the WACS team assessed the department’s facilities and identified areas requiring further improvement. They also engaged resident doctors on measures to enhance healthcare delivery. The Chief Medical Director expressed optimism that the department would meet the requirements for full accreditation, noting that most of the issues earlier raised by the college had been addressed.
Dr. Ighosewe emphasized that accreditation would enable the hospital to train doctors who would eventually become consultants, creating a sustainable pool of specialists to provide care to patients. She noted that the process was demanding but worth it, as it would provide an opportunity to train residents who would become the next generation of consultants.
The accreditation process is particularly important due to the difficulty in recruiting consultants, largely as a result of the migration of Nigerian medical professionals in search of opportunities abroad. Dr. Ighosewe referred to this phenomenon as the "Japa syndrome." She believes that with accreditation, the hospital will have a steady supply of fellows to provide specialty services.
The exercise is expected to pave the way for expanded residency training at the hospital and increase access to specialised medical services in Delta State. The WACS accreditation process, when successfully completed, will also strengthen the hospital’s capacity to develop specialist manpower and reduce its dependence on external recruitment.
The successful completion of the WACS accreditation process will help address the challenges posed by brain drain in Nigeria’s healthcare system. It will enable the hospital to develop a sustainable pool of specialist doctors, reducing the need for external recruitment and ensuring that patients receive quality medical care.
Key points
- The Asaba Specialist Hospital seeks WACS accreditation to train resident doctors.
- The hospital aims to address the growing difficulty in recruiting specialist doctors.
- Accreditation will enable the hospital to develop a sustainable pool of specialist doctors.
