By Asma’u Ahmad
The Wife of the President, Mrs Aisha Buhari, has advocated for increased women participation toward providing neurosurgical services to cater for children born with physical deformity.
Mrs Buhari made the appeal on Thursday at a dinner marking the end of the third Congress of the Association of African Neurosurgical Societies (CAANS) in Abuja.
Mrs Aisha Buhari
She was represented by the wife of the Vice-President Mrs Dolapo Osinbajo. She urged the neurosurgical societies to expedite action towards the establishment of additional centres across Nigeria, to tackle the emerging cases of children born with deformity.
She commended the association urged increased women participation in the profession. “When you think of neurosurgery, what comes to mind are the stories of the difficult hours that the practice requires. “This not withstanding, women are increasingly choosing to practice the profession all over the continent because neurosurgeons play a major role in ensuring that children born with abnormalities receive special attention.”
Mrs Buhari advised practitioners to partner with relevant stakeholders to ensure affordable treatment of children with abnormalities. “I am passionate about the health of and well-being of our children and I know the crucial role that neurosurgeons play in addressing the needs of children born with abnormalities of the nervous system.”
She, therefore, emphasised the need to assist in addressing the plight of families with neurosurgical patients. On her part, a member of the global body of the association, Prof. Gail Rosseau, said diseases do not show any preference for colour of any ethnic group.
Rosseau said that the disease is a healthcare challenge that unites people to stand against it. He, therefore, requested for partnership with the Future Assured Programme, the pet project of Mrs Buhari to address problems confronting children born with abnormalities in Nigeria.
