Plastic surgery in Nigeria: our yesterday, today and tomorrow

The Nigerian Association of Plastic, Reconstructive and Aesthetic Surgeons (NAPRAS) instituted a lecture in honor of the doyen of Plastic Surgery in Nigeria, Professor Joseph Olatunde Oluwasanmi. A man who took up the challenge to specialize in plastic surgery thus becoming the first indigenous consultant plastic surgeon in 1967. He rose through the ranks to become a professor in 1973. The 2017 annual conference of the association took place in Sokoto and the lecture focused on the history and practice of plastic surgery in Nigeria. The lecture chronicled those who practice plastic surgery in Nigeria beginning from Mr Michael Norbert Tempest, a British Surgeon who worked in University College Hospital (UCH), Ibadan as a consultant, while Mr J.O. Oluwasanmi (now Prof J.O. Oluwasanmi) worked under him as a Senior Registrar. Oluwasanmi was later appointed as the first indigenous Consultant Plastic Surgeon in1967 after returning from the UK where we went for his specialty training in plastic surgery. Many other centers sprang up providing plastic surgery services. These centers include Lagos University Teaching Hospital, Lagos; National Orthopedic Hospital, Igbobi Lagos; National Orthopedic Hospital, Enugu; Ahmadu Bello University Teaching Hospital, Kaduna; Mangu Rehabilitation Centre, Mangu Plateau State and ECWA Evangel Hospital Jos (now Bingham University Teaching Hospital). Most of these centers have continued to provide plastic surgery services and training while several others have joined the train. Plastic surgery is now well established in Nigeria, however there are still challenges that affect the provision of excellent service. These challenges include; inadequate personnel, lack of awareness of the practice of plastic surgery, limited infrastructure, poverty and lack of universal health coverage, cultural practices and believes, patients’ expectations, complications, complexity of cases and workload.