By Sola Ogundipe

SEVERAL years ago, Dr. Ngozi Onyia, a Paediatrician/Primary care Physician, had a brain haemorrhage and was spared the trauma of developing a stroke through the timely availability of specialist emergency medical care.

Being a direct beneficiary of specialist emergency care, she was privileged to appreciate its value, and that singular experience motivated her to into contributing her own quota towards bridging existing gaps in the provision of specialist care in the country.

Just before she turned 50 in 2010, Onyia,voluntarily quit her job at  Nigerian Breweries where she worked as medical adviser for 10 years, and with 50 percent  of her severance pay, founded the Paelon Memorial Clinic – a world class boutique hospital with highly sought personalised multi-specialist medical services in Victoria Island, Lagos.

Last week, the hospital opened a 2-bed state-of-the-art Intensive Care Unit, ICU, in line with the dream of the founder to further provide evidence-based healthcare services of the highest quality. In a chat, Onyia, who is the facility’s current Medical Director described the event as the fulfilment of a heartfelt passion.

“What we have is a pasion. This  vision started because we wanted to redefine specialist medical care in the country. When I started out in 2010, it was a journey into the unknown, but we have remained committed to the goal. Our aim is to get it right, every time.

“We are going to be a facility where people will train. What we will be doing  here will impact lives in other areas, This is a start, but it is a place where those who work in other facilities can come to see the equipment  and learn how they can be used to deliver proper healthcare.

A partner at Paelon and Consultant in charge of the new ICU, Dr. Sylvia Cole, said the whole essence of making  effective critical care services available was in the effort to prevent complications.

Equipment at the newly installed Intensive Care Unit at Paelon Memorial Hospital, Lagos.

Cole, an Anaesthetist/Intensivist, regretted that in Nigeria, emergency cases  are not well covered in terms of specialist care.

“What we are doing here is to set up a centre where we can look after trauma patients for the first three hours, and stabilise them, until they get better.

“In my area of critical care and emergency medicine, the first three hours are crucial. In anaesthesia, the first five minutes make a difference whether a person would be  brain dead or not. The first three hours make a difference as to whether the kidneys fail, or if the liver fails or whether the patient will even survive.

“We are starting with two beds, even though in Lagos we need more than 100 beds, but if we are waiting for somebody to start  a 100-bed ICU, nothing will happen.” she remarked. Paelon, which is open to all, is already providing basic healthcare. The facility is soon to be accredited to train doctors.