Surgeon charges Nigerians to create environment for innovative discovery

A Professor of Surgery, Paediatrics and Obstetrics at Baylor College of Medicine, Texas Children’s Hospital, Houston, Texas, United State, Oluyinka Olutoye, has charged Nigerians to create an environment for innovative discovery.

He made the call while speaking at the 11th Annual Professor T.A.I. Grillo’s Memorial Lecture organised by College of Health Sciences, Obafemi Awolowo University, at Oduduwa Hall, on Thursday, in Ile-Ife.

Olutoye spoke on ‘Progress through Innovation & Discovery: Advances in Surgery Before Birth’.

Nigerian Tribune recalls that Olutoye was the Nigerian doctor who led 21 US doctors on the landmark “baby born twice” surgery’.

“In Nigeria, we are very good at identifying problems; we can expound on the merits and demerits of solutions others may offer, but we need to do better at actually solving the problems.

“We cannot wait on others to proffer solutions to our own problems and challenges; not someone else, not even government,” he said.

He called on all and sundry to identify their own problems and come up with their own innovative solutions.

Olutoye noted that no one person can solve all the problems of the world, but if all contribute their own quota to the bits, the overall impact will be substantial.

The surgeon cited OAU as a centre of excellence which has several innovations such as creation of the yam pounder, extraction of medicine for sickle cell disease, among others.

He appealed to institutions of higher learning to create an environment of transparency, accountability and efficiency that would manage endowment and opportunities.

“Institutions should establish a review system based on meritocracy that would award limited resources to deserving individuals and to translate the innovative findings to usable advance and technology that would benefit the society at large.

“They should set up a framework and expectation that funds allocated would be used exclusively for the purpose it was dedicated for, with regular oversight to ensure  severe enforcement penalties for deviant behaviour,” he stated.

The chairman of the occasion and vice chancellor of the university, Professor Eyitope Ogunbodede, said the programme was of key interest to the university.

The dean of the Faculty of Ophthalmology, Obafemi Awolowo University Teaching Hospital Complex, Ile-Ife, Professor Bernice Adegbehingbe, described Professor Olutoye as a symbol of excellence that do them proud in Nigeria and globally.

Earlier, the provost, College of Health Sciences, Professor Kayode Ijadunola, had appealed to the friends of the college and university to stand up to assist and support the college, so as to make the faculty to achieve more success.