The Society Of Specialists in Airway Management (SSAM) Nigeria has commenced a nationwide orientation
for healthcare workers in the country
The pilot workshop held in National Hospital Abuja on Thursday, September 21, 2023, had in attendance anaesthetic doctors, nurses, and others.
On the reason for starting the awareness campaign, President of the Airway Development Incorporated, Dr. Daniel Tapia, stated that, “we’ve been teaching, distributing, and equipping people with the essential life-saving equipment for quite a while now and it’s going to continue for 50 years to come.
“I’ve found out that one of the key components is not just handing over equipment to people, but providing the guidance, education, and the foundations that are necessary to use the equipment appropriately.
“So, not only do we see the highest quality, the best, and the most important equipment that are available to take care of a patient, but it is accompanied with education, guidance, and teaching so that it is used appropriately when the time comes”.
In addition, Tapia stated that, he was convinced that the simulation centre was not only helpful but an essential component of making that dream come true.
Meanwhile, President, Society Of Specialists in Airway Management (SSAM) Nigeria, Dr. Aderonke Adesiyan admitted that, knowledge and skills in airway management were essential for all healthcare professionals.
Speaking about the simulation centres, Adesiyan said, “these simulation centres have been made possible by the generous donations of over 400 airway manikins, 200 video laryngoscopes, and numerous other airway equipment from the Airway Development Incorporated.
“We appreciate Dr. Tapia’s unwavering passion, sacrifice, and commitment to the improvement of the practice of airway management in Nigeria and Africa.
“It is our hope that these centres will be used to enhance the training and retraining of medical students, nurses, medical officers, residents, and consultants in all specialties where airway management may be required”.
On his part, Director Clinical Services, National Hospital Abuja, Dr. Badamasi Abba who spoke on behalf of the Chief Medical Director, Prof. Mahmud Raji said the program was a welcome development as it would complement what National Hospital was doing, because they were targeting all the staff who work in the National Hospital, to make sure they knew how to manage airwaves in case of emergencies.
Also speaking, Lead Volunteer, African Component Airway Development Incorporated, Dr. Rabiu Bashir disclosed that Dr. Tapia was a colleague who was passionate about African countries and other countries with limited resources and felt the best thing to do was to utilize his resources to save lives.
He donated equipment through the NGO and they are bringing the equipment to the hospitals.
Dr. Bashir explained that, he found out the medical practitioners did not know how to use the equipment donated to them, “so we came up with a framework. We move them to a particular hospital, country, or institution and train doctors and nurses, then donate the equipment to the hospital and also give some equipment to the individual practitioners, so that you will have them in their possession When they need them to save lives, they will use them.
“Basically, we are concentrating more on Airway management because when you look at data from the Lancet study, the number of people dying from surgical-related conditions is higher than cancer, malaria, and HIV.
“So he drew his passion from that data. Now the safest way to get surgery is to have a safe Airway. Which is the first step in most general anesthesia where most of the complications occur.
“In the last four years, he has donated equipment worth more than $400,000 in Nigeria, we trained over 500 doctors and nurses in December last year and we distributed equipment worth over $100,000 free to all the public hospitals.
“Our emphasis is on public hospitals because that takes care of the vulnerable and impoverished”, he said.
