Sambayo Imonide

Túndé Ọ̀nákọ̀yà—the founder of Chess in Slums Africa—underwent his total hip replacement surgery at Marigold Hospital in Lagos. The extensive, six-hour procedure was performed in July 2023 by orthopedic surgeon Dr. Eyitayo Alabi and his medical team to correct a long-standing case of Avascular Necrosis (AVN). Think of what the facility must look like now. We have hospitals in Nigeria that are equipped to handle Samuel Perry's accident. I'll list some: Private Centers: • Marigold Hospital (Lagos) – Highly regarded for orthopedics. • Reddington Hospital (Lagos) • Evercare Hospital (Lagos) • Cedacrest Hospitals (Abuja & Lagos) – Extensively specialized in advanced orthopedic and trauma surgeries. Public Teaching Hospitals: • Lagos University Teaching Hospital (LUTH) • University College Hospital (UCH), Ibadan • National Orthopaedic Hospital, Igbobi (Lagos) – Nigeria's premier public hub dedicated entirely to bone and joint surgeries. If your post was about the quality of the PHCs and low tier private hospital overseen by states then you'll be making a very valid point. When Samuel Perry was shot in Alákùkọ, he couldn't choose his hospital. In a critical emergency, a patient is at the mercy of whatever ambulance or private vehicle picks them up, traffic conditions, and the nearest open clinic. If again the question is about Nigeria's emergency response system which is state based and mostly uncoordinated I would understand. Patients like Samuel Perry often end up stabilized at lower-tier hospitals first. Once a major surgery fails or complications arise, the patient's family often panics and opts to fly abroad rather than risk transferring to another local hospital. This has nothing to do with the quality of treatment here or APC or Tinúbú. Choosing to travel to Dubai for a hip replacement is significantly more expensive than getting top-tier care domestically. • Elite Private Care in Nigeria: A total hip replacement at an elite private hospital in Lagos or Abuja typically costs between ₦8 million and ₦15 million (roughly $5,000 to $10,000 USD, depending on exchange rates and implant types). • In Dubai, the surgery alone often starts at $18,000 to $25,000 USD. When you add business-class flights (necessary for someone who cannot bend their hip), hotel stays for weeks of rehabilitation, and visas, the total cost can easily exceed $35,000 to $45,000 USD. That Dubai budget could easily fund three to four hip replacements at Nigeria's absolute best private facilities. Decades of systemic underfunding in the public health sector have created a psychological narrative: "If you have the money, leave*. Even though private facilities like Cedacrest or Marigold possess world-class orthopedic theaters, many Nigerians are locked in that psychological bubble and they take to flight because of fear which is understandable but not a reason to dunk on Nigeria or the APC government. Like @0xkitng asked what has the person or party that you support done with the state of health in their states? What is the data telling us. Not to shit on Samuel Perry but all these yeyebrities and the dogs around them don't even have an idea of what's available around them. I am happy for him but Nigeria could have taken care of him if he was better informed and at a price that won't hurt his pocket. Ask @ProfOsinbajo ask @Tunde_OD.