History Made, as FMC Ikole-Ekiti Performs First Successful Hip Replacement in Ekiti

The Federal Medical Centre, Ikole-Ekiti, has performed a successful total hip replacement, becoming the first public hospital in Ekiti State to carry out the advanced orthopaedic procedure.

The Medical Director of the facility, Prof. Johnson Ogunlusi, disclosed this in Ikole-Ekiti yesterday, describing the development as a landmark achievement for health care delivery in the state.

He said the hospital, established in mid-2024, had continued to expand its specialist services and clinical capacity within a short period of operation.

Ogunlusi said within its first six months, the facility conducted its first total knee replacement surgery and had so far carried out four such procedures to address severe knee pain.

He noted that while joint replacement surgeries were not new in Nigeria, their availability in a public hospital in Ekiti marked a significant milestone.

He said the development would reduce medical tourism and the need for residents to travel outside the state or abroad for complex orthopaedic procedures.

He added that the patient, who recently underwent the total hip replacement, had been discharged and was recuperating.

The medical director said the hospital had grown from three consultants at inception to over 24, including 13 full-time specialists and visiting consultants drawn from across the country.

Ogunlusi revealed that the centre had secured accreditation from the Nursing and Midwifery Council of Nigeria for intern nurses’ training and from the Medical and Dental Council of Nigeria for housemanship training.

He said the hospital had established a Neonatal Intensive Care Unit for specialised newborn care, created new subspecialties and remodelled residential quarters for medical interns.

Despite the remarkable strides recorded by the hospital, Ogunlusi lamented that the surge in patient turnout was beginning to exert pressure on existing infrastructure.

He said the increasing patronage, though a testament to public confidence in the facility, had exposed significant gaps in office accommodation and residential housing for medical personnel.

He appealed to well-meaning Nigerians and corporate organisations to support the hospital with critical infrastructures, particularly office complexes, residential quarters and other facilities required to sustain its expanding operations.

He said such intervention would not only ease the pressure on existing structures, but also enhance service delivery and workers’ welfare as patient numbers continued to rise.