Professor Bissallah Ahmed Ekele, a Professor of Obstetrics and Gynaecology, has taken over as the fourth substantive Chief Medical Director of the University of Abuja Teaching Hospital, Gwagwalada with a pledge to make the hospital a centre of excellence in patient’s care, training and research.
Speaking shortly after signing the hand-over notes from Dr. Abubakar Shehu Haruna who was until his arrival the Acting Chief Medical Director of the hospital, Professor Ekele said if issues surrounding patient’s care were properly articulated and managed, the huge capital flight due to medical tourism would be greatly reduced.
As the Chief Medical Director, he said his first step would be to create the right environment for patients to receive care and also ensure that the waiting time it takes for patients to access such care was drastically reduced. According to Professor Ekele, “it is unacceptable for a patient to spend a whole day just to see a doctor.” “This must stop,” he said.
The Chief Medical Director whose appointment was approved by the Federal Government in June, this year said he was not unmindful of the yearning of Nigerians especially residents of the Federal Capital Territory for an effective and responsive healthcare delivery system hence his decision to accord priority to patient’s care. Professor Ekele called for empathy on the part of all healthcare givers in order to ensure that people who come to the hospital healthcare, leave the facility happier and better. He said he would open windows of opportunity for local and foreign collaborations with a view to ensuring that critical stakeholders are brought on stage for the national goal of ensuring good health for all.
Until his appointment as the Chief Medical Director of the University of Abuja Teaching Hospital, Professor Ekele was the Dean, Faculty of Clinical Sciences, College of Health Sciences, University of Abuja and a visiting professor, University of the Gambia, Banjul.Professor Ekele’s medical career has seen him through the Jos University Teaching Hospital, University College Hospital, Ibadan, Usman Danfodio University Teaching Hospital, Sokoto and the John Radcliffe Hospital, United Kingdom.
He is a Fellow of the West African College of Surgeons, Fellow of the International College of Surgeons and Fellow of the Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists, United Kingdom.