Nigeria Breaks 20-Year Cardiothoracic Training Barrier, UPTH Registrar Makes History
Professor of cardiothoracic surgery, Prof kelechi Okonta (left) and Dr G. I. Alabo, a Senior Registrar at the University of Port Harcourt Teaching Hospital
Titus Eleweke
For more than two decades, hospitals in Nigeria have faced challenges in completing the training of cardiothoracic surgeons locally, with trainees required to travel abroad to countries such as India, Germany and Israel for cardiac surgery observerships to acquire the experience needed to qualify for the fellowship examination of the West African College of Surgeons (WACS).
However, a new joint accreditation arrangement involving LOTS institutions has provided a breakthrough in the training process, enabling candidates to acquire the required clinical experience within Nigeria and qualify for the fellowship examination without necessarily travelling abroad for observerships.
Under the arrangement, candidates rotate through the three participating institutions over a period of 18 months, during which they participate in and observe sufficient cardiac surgery cases to meet the requirements for the examination.
The development has now yielded its first beneficiary, Dr G. I. Alabo, a Senior Registrar at the University of Port Harcourt Teaching Hospital (UPTH), who has qualified to sit for the WACS fellowship examination in cardiothoracic surgery.
Dr Alabo’s qualification marks a significant milestone in the country’s efforts to strengthen local specialist medical training and reduce dependence on foreign institutions for critical clinical exposure.
The joint accreditation arrangement is expected to improve the capacity of Nigerian institutions to train cardiothoracic surgeons by providing trainees with the practical experience required for professional certification within the country.
The achievement also underscores the importance of collaboration among accredited training institutions in expanding specialist medical education and developing the skilled workforce needed to advance cardiac and thoracic surgical care in Nigeria.
Dr Alabo is the first beneficiary of the arrangement, marking a significant step forward for the participating institutions and the future of cardiothoracic surgery training in Nigeria.
