NIHR Global Surgery Unit celebrates decade of collaboration with University of Birmingham
The NIHR Global Surgery Unit (GSU) Nigeria Hub, which stands as a beacon of excellence in advancing surgical research and care across Nigeria, has celebrated a decade of collaboration with University of Birmingham, UK.
The event took place in Lagos on Tuesday.
With partnerships spanning 36 institutions formally involved in the network and over 50 involved in operational studies, its reach extends across all six geopolitical zones of the country, the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports.
This has positioned the hub as a critical driver of high-quality research, capacity building and evidence-based advancement in surgical care.
Speaking at the celebration, Dr Kamil Shoretire, Director, Health Planning, Research and Statistics, Federal Ministry of Health and Social Welfare, said that the collaboration was excellent.
Shoretire said that Nigerian collaborators, led by University of Lagos, and the University of Birmingham had collaborated in surgical researches.
“It’s been a decade now and Nigeria gained a lot conducting research with international groups”.
Speaking, Prof. Adesoji Ademuyiwa, Hub Director, (NIHR GSU) Nigeria, said that the collaboration had expanded surgical research capacity in Nigeria.
Ademuyiwa, a Professor of Surgery and Consultant Paediatric Surgeon at the Lagos University Teaching Hospital (LUTH), said that before the collaboration, Nigeria used to do single institution’s research studies, count patients and look at them one by one.
“But this collaboration has expanded our horizons.
“We now run multi centre, international large study with greater strength of evidence.
“In addition to that, when we started, it was only my centre but now it has gone to over 30 centres across the country in the six geo political zones.
“In addition to that, we have been able to generate evidence that impact patients outcomes,” he said.
“For example, we discovered in the FALCON Trial that a cheaper alternative in antiseptic use and suction is not inferior to more expensive ones; with the cheaper alternative, we are sure to get the same outcome.
“In the CHEETAH Trial, we discovered that when we change gloves and instruments, we reduce surgical site infection to about 15 per cent.
“We have received a data centre where we trained people in the use of data for surgical analysis, using data analysis to generate surgical evidence in surgery,” he said.
The professor said that they had just started a Masters Programme in Surgery and hoped that it would become a joint degree between the two universities, such that it would carry both University of Lagos and University of Birmingham.
According to Ademuyiwa, this means that one can have the same quality of education in Birmingham here in Lagos.
Also, Prof. Adewale Adisa, Deputy Director, NIHR GSU, said that over time in the last ten years, they had come to a point where they were l able to use the collaboration to train students and resident doctors.
Adisa is a professor of surgery at the Obafemi Awolowo Teaching Hospital, Ile-Ife.
Adisa confirmed that it had been a decade of success in improving outcomes of operations and the celebration was because University of Birmingham had come to the University of Lagos.
“They have come to officially sign a Memorandum of Understanding for further collaboration, celebrating 10 years of relationship but now signing an agreement for the future”.
On his own part, Prof. Dion Morton, Barling Chair of Surgery, University of Birmingham, said that the real impact of the research was on patients across Nigeria, West Africa, Birmingham and across the world.
Morton said that the results of the surgery being carried out by NIHR GSU Hub were of importance to every continent.
He said that the benefits were seen in thousands of patients across the world and that there were also benefits of developing the collaboration and skills for researchers now and the future.
Prof. Nick Vaughan-Williams, Provost, University of Birmingham, said that the partnership was absolutely crucial in tackling some of the challenges in surgery.
Vaughan-Williams said that one of the reasons they were in Nigeria was that University of Lagos had the same vision and same aspirations with the University of Birmingham.
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