Foundation targets 50 patients for free reconstructive surgeries in Sokoto hospital

By Gbolahan Salman Sokoto

A team of Nigerian and international surgeons has launched a week-long medical mission at Noma Children’s Hospital, Sokoto, offering free, life-changing reconstructive surgeries to indigent patients battling severe head and neck conditions.

The humanitarian outreach, led by the Kindred Health Surgical Foundation in partnership with NOMA Children’s Hospital will perform complex procedures typically costing between ₦350,000 and ₦500,000, at no charge to patients.

Chief Medical Director of Noma Children’s Hospital, Dr. Abubakar Abdullahi Bello, described the intervention as a turning point for patients who have long been unable to access specialized care.

“Some of these surgeries are very expensive. In other facilities, they could request ₦300,000 to ₦400,000 for this kind of procedure. But here, they get it free of charge, without paying a penny,” Bello said.

He explained that the hospital provides operating theatres, wards, and laboratory support, while the foundation covers the surgeries, personnel, and post-operative care.

Most of the beneficiaries are children affected by Noma, a devastating disease that destroys facial tissue, leaving survivors disfigured, stigmatized, and often isolated.

Professor Jacob Ndas Legbo, a plastic and reconstructive surgeon at Usmanu Danfodiyo University Teaching Hospital (UDUTH) and leader of the surgical team, said between 30 and 50 patients will benefit from the intervention this week.

“The foundation focuses on three things: training young surgeons, providing surgical equipment, and supporting indigent patients,” Legbo said.

“For this mission, we are concentrating on head and neck pathologies, ENT, maxillofacial, and reconstructive surgeries.”

He added that the Kindred Health Surgical Foundation, established in 2023 in collaboration with American ENT surgeon Dr. Dave Shaye of Project Life, plans to make such interventions regular rather than one-off events.

“This is just the beginning,” Professor Legbo emphasized. “With the support we have now, we hope to mount interventions like this more frequently and assist hospitals in treating patients who cannot pay for their treatment.”

The Sokoto State Ministry of Health, led by Commissioner Dr. Faruk, is backing the program, which is open to patients from Sokoto and beyond who meet surgical requirements.

For many of the patients, this outreach means more than medical treatment, it is a restoration of hope, dignity, and the chance to live free from pain and social stigma.