Lagos State University Teaching Hospital (LASUTH)

LASUTH Respiratory Unit Marks 2025 World Asthma Day With Advocacy And Awareness

Tuesday 6th May, 2025

The Lagos State University Teaching Hospital (LASUTH) Respiratory Unit, Of The Department Of Medicine, Joined The Global Community In Commemorating World Asthma Day 2025, Celebrated This Year With The Theme “Make Inhaled Treatments Accessible To All.” The Event, Held On May 6, 2025, Was A Multifaceted Campaign Aimed At Raising Awareness About Asthma, Improving Access To Life-saving Treatments, And Educating The Public On Proper Asthma Management. The Day’s Activities Commenced With A Courtesy Visit To The Hospital’s Management, Where The Respiratory Unit Team, Led By Dr. Femi Ojo, Head Of The Respiratory Unit, Received Commendations For Their Proactive Approach To Respiratory Care.

Professor Adetokunbo O. Fabamwo, The Chief Medical Director (CMD) Of LASUTH, While Receiving The Team, Expressed His Appreciation For Their Dedication To Hardwork, As He Glowingly Noted That The Respiratory Unit Is One Of The Critical Unit Within The Hospital In Which The Hospital Management Is Proud Of, Emphasizing The Importance Of Their Role In Improving Patient Outcomes.

The CMD Recounted A Profound Statement From His Days In Medical Training, Where He Learned That “Asthma Should Not Kill.” He, However, Acknowledged The Reality Of High Asthma Mortality Rates And Stressed The Need For Accessible Inhaler Therapies. Professor Fabamwo Challenged The Team To Advocate For Local Production Of Inhalers, A Move He Believes Could Significantly Reduce The Cost Of The Essential Medications.

Following The Courtesy Visit, The Respiratory Unit Embarked On An Advocacy Walk To Ikeja Local Government Secretariat. This Initiative Included Free Lung Function Testing, An On-site Pop-up Asthma Clinic, And An Educational Session On Proper Inhaler Usage. These Efforts Aimed At Empowering The Public With The Knowledge Needed To Identify And Manage Asthma Effectively.

Furthermore,Dr. Femi Ojo Highlighted The Importance Of The Annual World Asthma Day Celebration, Explaining That It Is A Global Event Designed To Raise Awareness About Asthma And To Advocate For Better Asthma Care. He Noted That Asthma Affects Over 300 Million People Worldwide, With Nigeria Accounting For More Than 20 Million Cases. He Emphasized That Poor Asthma Control Remains A Significant Cause Of Asthma-related Deaths, A Situation That Can Be Mitigated With Improved Access To Inhalers And Proper Patient Education.

In An Interview With Pharm. Dr. Patricia Odunuga, Director Of Clinical Pharmaceutical Services At LASUTH, She Highlighted The Critical Role Of Pharmacists In Asthma Management. She Also Explained That Pharmacists Ensure Patients Receive The Right Medications In The Correct Doses, Monitor Their Treatment Progress, And Educate Them On Proper Inhaler Techniques. Dr. Odunuga Advocated For Greater Accessibility And Affordability Of Inhalers, Which She Identified As A Major Factor In Reducing Asthma-related Mortality

. World Asthma Day 2025 At LASUTH Was Not Just A Day Of Celebration But A Call To Action, A Reminder That With Better Education, Accessible Treatments, And Collaborative Healthcare Delivery, The Burden Of Asthma Can Be Significantly Reduced In Lagos State And Beyond.

MEET THE CHIEF MEDICAL DIRECTOR

Prof. Adetokunbo O. Fabamwo

Chief Medical Director

I became DCST/CMAC in 2001, that is, 19 years ago when Dr. Olugbile was the Chief Medical Director. We were saddled with the responsibility of moving the hospital from being just a general hospital to a tertiary institution which LASUTH has become. I visited the DCST of LUTH at that time, Prof. Arigbabu and Prof. Malomo at the University of Ibadan to compare notes and seek advice on how to effectively deliver on the job I had been assigned.

We forged relationships with the Members of the Lagos State College of Medicine and absolved some of them into LASUTH as honorary consultants, though the Lagos State Government (LASG) wasn't very confident of that arrangement because they thought the frequent ASUU strikes that prevailed at that time would affect the activities at the hospital, but we overcame the challenges and the attendant issues that came with it.

We had to put in place systems and structures that would help the hospital move away from a general hospital status to a tertiary institution. We had Ayinke house already which was a standard in its own right. We also had the old ICU, BT Wards, then came the Pediatric wards. As we progressed, and developed, situation started changing and now we have the new Ayinke house, the new BT wards and BT lab.

More Speech
Experience So Far
Aspiration

We moved on to getting accreditation for our clinical programmes; while at it, the Ministry of Health gave LASUTH some funds to upgrade our services. We invited the different accrediting Colleges; for some we got partial accreditation while for some others we got full accreditation one of which was for Obstetrics & Gynaecology where we did not only have full accreditation, but also had a fellow in person of Dr. Oyedele.

We also had to deal with some attitudinal lapses in the staff. We had to start some series of trainings, symposia and teachings to re-orientate staff on how they relate with the different publics of the hospital. A lot of work has gone into that and I believe we are making progress, gradually.

Fortunately for me, LASUTH has always been a part of me so, I'm not in a strange territory. For many years I have been a Prof. of Obstetrics & Gynaecology at the College of Medicine and Consultant for Obstetrics & Gynaecology at the Ifako Ijaiye General Hospital.

My predecessor has done a good job to take LASUTH to where it is today, but we still have a lot of work to do. First of all, the issues at the Operating Suites in the Theatres had to be hurriedly addressed. As we speak, a lot has been done and will still be done because it's an on-going project.

We have a good relationship with the State Government and with the help of the current Head of Service, Mr. Akeem Muri Okunola who tabled the issue of getting more staff in the hospital before the Executive Governor and approval was given for the recruitment of 120 Resident Doctors who have started work.

We noticed that many academic staff of the College have qualified to be appointed as honorary consultants, now that our subvention has been increased, we can now put that into consideration.

Generally, the position of the Chief Medical Director of LASUTH is really hands-on and I have been encouraged by the staff from various Departments. They have been cooperative and that has made the job easier

I believe that LASUTH has the capacity to be a quaternary institution which means moving beyond being a tertiary institution and how do we get there? We have earmarked avenues through which we can do more. Some of which include; Gradually developing the emergency unit to become a training institute or school where we train Doctors to become Emergency Doctors and nurses.

We will institutionalize our Renal Transplant Services by having more foreign missions and also have our doctors visit hospitals abroad to learn and bring back what they have learnt to train others here in LASUTH.

Developing more Doctors to becoming embryologists and IVF doctors through the Institute of Fertility Medicine here in LASUTH. We plan to develop schools in Occupational Therapy, such that our Psychiatry Department can use the skills acquired in the rehabilitation of patients.

The Lagos State University Teaching Hosp...

‎The Lagos State University Teaching H...

‎The Lagos State University Teaching H...

PROF. ADETOKUNBO O. FABAMWO
CHIEF MEDICAL DIRECTOR

PROF. ADEBOWALE ADEKOYA
DIRECTOR, CLINICAL SERVICES & TRAINING

MRS OLAYINKA M. OYE-BAMGBOSE
DIRECTOR, HOSPITAL ADMINISTRATION & HUMAN RESOURCE

MRS RALIAT HASSAN
DIRECTOR, FINANCE AND ACCOUNT

DR. TEMITOPE SIKIAYE
DIRECTOR OF NURSING SERVICES

Prof. Adetokunbo O. Fabamwo

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MEET THE CHIEF MEDICAL DIRECTOR