The Lagos State government has disputed claims that only one dialysis machine is functional at the Alimosho General Hospital, Igando.

Lagos State Commissioner for Health, Akin Abayomi, made the clarification in a post on X on Sunday, saying all eight dialysis machines at the hospital’s dialysis centre are functional.

PREMIUM TIMES traced the claim to a video posted by Nigerian skit maker and social media influencer Akewusola Oladipupo, popularly known as MC Always, on 17 September.

In the video posted on his Facebook and Instagram accounts, Mr Oladipupo raised concerns about the condition of the dialysis centre, describing it as “in shambles” and “in a state of comatose”.

He said only one dialysis machine was working at the facility and questioned how patients could be adequately attended to with the limited equipment.

Mr Oladipupo also said the hospital’s generator operates from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m., while a dialysis session takes at least four hours. He questioned how the centre could serve patients if only one machine was functioning out of what he estimated to be 10 to 15 machines.

“So all the people that have kidney problems in Lagos are in serious problem,” he said. What does it take to fix these machines?” Mr Oladipupo asked, adding that the centre was not accepting new patients and was only attending to existing ones.

Government responds

In his post, Mr Abayomi said the claim that the hospital had only one functional dialysis machine was false.

The post was accompanied by a video showing different sections of the dialysis centre and its machines. Mr Abayomi said the centre has eight dialysis machines and that all eight are working.

According to him, six of the machines serve general dialysis patients, while two are dedicated to patients living with HIV or hepatitis, in line with infection prevention and control measures.

He said dialysis sessions begin as early as 6 a.m. and continue until the last patient is attended to, sometimes until midnight.

READ ALSO: Lagos APC orders candidates to stay in Nigeria until 2027 polls

“We run up to 200 dialysis sessions every month,” Mr Abayomi said, adding that the centre has a dedicated standby generator.

The commissioner also listed other public hospitals offering dialysis services in Lagos, including Lagos State University Teaching Hospital (LASUTH), General Hospital Lagos, General Hospital Gbagada, Infectious Diseases Hospital (IDH), Yaba, and Federal Medical Centre (FMC), Ebute Metta.

Healthcare advocacy

Mr Oladipupo has continued to use his social media platforms to speak about challenges in Nigeria’s healthcare system following the death of his wife from Stage 4 cancer.

During an appearance on TVC in August, he spoke about his wife’s illness and the difficulties his family encountered while seeking care for her.

Since her death, he has used his platform to raise concerns about access to healthcare, the availability of functional medical equipment and the financial burden on patients and their families.

He urged patients and caregivers to speak about their experiences and called for improvements in the country’s healthcare system.

The Redeemer’s Health Village (RHV), in collaboration with RoboMed Global and Nisa Premier Hospital, has performed what it described as Nigeria’s first tele-robotic surgery.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the surgery was performed in real time on Saturday from a Toumai console at RHV on a patient at Nisa Premier Hospital, Abuja.

The procedure was a telesurgery-assisted, robot-assisted right radical nephrectomy performed to remove a kidney affected by a cancerous tumour.

Tele-robotic surgery, also known as remote surgery, is a technique that enables a surgeon to perform an operation on a patient from a completely different physical location.

Speaking after the surgery at RHV, Obi Ekwenna-Davis, professor of Urology and Transplantation, who led the surgery, explained the medical condition of the patient.

He said the procedure demonstrated that telesurgery could be safely performed on patients in different parts of Nigeria and the world.

Mr Ekwenna-Davis, co-founder of RoboMed Global, said the development was a significant achievement for RHV and its partners.

“Distance should never decide who receives safe surgery; this is what safe and trusted surgery looks like,” he said.

The US-based surgeon said the patient was in good condition and expected to be discharged within 24 hours.

He said the procedure lasted about three hours, with brief stoppages to ensure that the equipment and systems functioned properly.

Mr Ekwenna-Davis said the collaboration was significant as it marked the first time two hospitals in different parts of Nigeria successfully collaborated to provide surgical care to a patient.

He said the sustainability of the initiative would depend on continuous training, adding that a robotic academy would soon be established to train surgeons and other medical professionals.

According to him, the academy aims to train at least 150 surgeons within the next two years.

Mr Ekwenna-Davis said the programme had the support of the Minister of Health and other government institutions, while calling for additional support from private and non-governmental organisations.

Earlier, Adedamola Dada, chief executive officer of RHV, said the development marked the first telesurgery in West Africa.

Mr Dada said RHV was established to promote innovation and provide world-class healthcare services at affordable costs.

“What has happened today is a demonstration that Nigerians can access modern healthcare without travelling abroad,” he said.

He said the initiative was not primarily profit-driven but aimed at demonstrating what modern healthcare could offer Nigerians, in line with the vision of the General Overseer of the Redeemed Christian Church of God.

Mr Dada said the achievement had positioned the hospital as a gateway through which specialist skills could be transferred to patients across Nigeria.

He said the introduction of robotic surgery and telesurgery at RHV was aimed at reducing medical tourism and improving access to complex surgical procedures within the country.

The CEO said measures had been put in place to address possible connectivity challenges through the use of reliable networks.

He explained that weather conditions could sometimes affect connectivity, while the quality of equipment and availability of skilled personnel were also critical to the success of telesurgery.

Dada said the hospital was establishing a robotic academy in collaboration with RoboMed Global to train doctors, surgeons, nurses, biomedical engineers and product specialists.

He urged the government to support and sponsor medical professionals interested in acquiring robotic surgery skills.

“My message to government is to support and sponsor Nigerians, the surgeons, the nurses, the biomedical engineers who would want to come and do this training here.

“They can award scholarships to them so that within two to three years, Nigeria will have a lot of professionals who are capable of performing robotic surgery,” he said.

Ibrahim Wada, chief executive officer and founder of Nisa Premier Hospital, said the facility had been a centre for robotic surgery in West Africa since November 2025.

“Today, our patient received specialist surgical expertise from across the country without leaving Abuja. This is what becomes possible when Nigerian institutions decide to build together,” Wada said.

Also, Kunle Onakoya, chairman of the Board of RHV, described the development as historic and urged participants to recognise their roles in creating a milestone for Nigeria.

NAN reports that RHV is a faith-based 300-bed multispecialty hospital established by the Redeemed Christian Church of God.

NAN also reports that journalists watched the procedure live on television at RHV.

(NAN)