The Aminu Kano Teaching Hospital (AKTH) in Kano, Nigeria, is making significant progress in the construction of its multi-storey Emergency Trauma Department. The facility, which is valued at several billion naira, is being equipped with state-of-the-art medical equipment to provide critical life support and emergency services to patients with traumatic injuries. The hospital's Chief Medical Director, Professor Abdurrahman Abba Sheshe, stated that the new complex will be fully equipped to manage critical injuries, polytrauma, and acute medical emergencies.
The proposed trauma centre will be equipped with advanced medical equipment, including high-resolution portable ultrasound machines, advanced ICU-grade mechanical ventilators, video laryngoscope gadgets, multifunctional defibrillators, and crash carts. These devices will enable medical professionals to provide life-saving interventions, such as eFAST exams, resuscitation, and airway management. Additionally, the centre will have heavy-duty portable and wall-suction units, advanced multiparameter patient monitors, and a mobile digital portable X-ray machine to facilitate immediate bedside radiographs.
The trauma centre will also have point-of-care blood gas and chemistry analysers, a 12-lead ECG machine, and equipment to handle paediatric patients, including Broselow tapes/carts, paediatric-specific lines, tubes, and an infant radiant warmer. Furthermore, the centre will be equipped with ophthalmic and ENT diagnostic equipment, such as slit lamps, ophthalmoscopes, otoscopes, and Morgan lenses for eye irrigation. These features will enable the hospital to provide comprehensive emergency services to patients of all ages and demographics.
A distinguishing feature of the new complex is a rooftop helipad designed for fast and timely air ambulance access. The helipad will provide the hospital with Helicopter Emergency Medical Services (HEMS) capability, enabling patients requiring urgent, life-saving trauma care to be speedily airlifted to the hospital and treated. This is particularly significant in Nigeria, where road accidents, insurgent attacks, and communal conflicts are common.
The provision of the helipad makes AKTH one of less than ten tertiary public and private hospitals in Nigeria with dedicated aerial patient transport facilities. The hospital already has a fleet of ambulances equipped with life-support facilities akin to standard mobile intensive care units. The addition of the helipad will enhance the hospital's ability to provide emergency services and airlift patients in need of urgent care.
The construction of the trauma centre and helipad is in line with the commitment by Nigeria's national healthcare planners, led by the Coordinating Minister of Health and Social Welfare, Professor Muhammad Ali Pate, to ensure that world-class emergency services become widely available in the country. The project is expected to improve the quality of emergency care in Kano and beyond.
Upon completion, the trauma centre will have dozens of beds, its own pharmacy, emergency operation suites, a detachment of ambulances manned by skilled paramedics, constant electricity, and a stable potable water supply. The centre will be a significant addition to Nigeria's healthcare infrastructure, providing critical life support and emergency services to patients in need.
Key points
- The Aminu Kano Teaching Hospital is building a multi-billion naira trauma centre and rooftop helipad to enhance emergency services.
- The trauma centre will be equipped with advanced medical equipment, including ultrasound machines, ventilators, and defibrillators.
- The helipad will provide the hospital with Helicopter Emergency Medical Services (HEMS) capability, enabling speedy airlift of patients in need of urgent care.
