Challenges and prospects of neurosurgical services in Bauchi, north-east Nigeria

Abstract

Background: Nigeria has few neurosurgeons and her population has little or no access to neurosurgical services. Neurosurgical care has become the vital components of tertiary health care delivery. Within the last three (3), we have pioneered the neurosurgical services in our centre though with lack of materials and manpower. Our objectives was to recount our previous experiences and challenges. Methods: A retrospective observational study of all in-patient neurosurgical cases managed from September 2018 to September 2021. Descriptive data analysis was used for the data obtained. Results: A total of 1714 patients were managed with male:female ratio of 2.5 to 1.74% were age 40 years and below. Trauma is the leading cause of admission accounted for 83% while vascular lesions accounted for the least (0.06%). Conclusions: Pioneering a neurosurgical service is a herculean task, it takes a huge sacrifice. There is an urgent need to deploy materials and manpower to sustain and improve these services. Collaborative effort among public, private and donor agencies will brighten our future neurosurgical practice.

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