Experts Warn of Airway Emergency Crisis in Nigerian Hospitals

At the fourth annual scientific conference of the Society of Specialist in Airway Management held in Ilorin, Kwara State, experts emphasized that equipment shortages and inadequate funding are exacerbating airway emergencies in Nigerian hospitals. Dr. Aderonk Adesiyan, a consultant anaesthesiologist from Kibungo Teaching Hospital in Rwanda, noted that 40% of major airway management complications are linked to human factors such as communication breakdown and fatigue.

She urged for increased investment in healthcare and stronger leadership to enhance airway safety systems. Dr. Maryros Osazuwa, a consultant anaesthesiologist, stressed the need for multidisciplinary collaboration among healthcare professionals to address persistent shortages of essential airway equipment.

Dr. Ellen O'Sullivan from the European Society of Anaesthesiologists highlighted the importance of evidence-based clinical protocols to improve patient outcomes. Professor Olusola Abdulrahman Afolabi, chairman of the Nigerian Medical Association in Kwara State, called for hospitals to involve airway management specialists in high-risk surgical procedures to enhance patient safety.