History of ola olu hospital (5)

In-patient facilities - Nursing Home Project

As we made progress, it became evident that we required facilities for inpatient work. Cases presented with surgical problems that required hospital admission. Some patients were too ill to be treated as outpatients. The need therefore arose for us to have a place where we could admit cases for closer observation and for surgery. So we went ahead and rented an uncompleted building consisting of twelve rooms from late Alhaji Onisese.

The building was situated on Sulu Gambari road near our outpatient clinic. The Ministry of Health inspected the premises after we had applied to open a Nursing Home there. The Medical Superintendent in charge of Ilorin General Hospital then, Dr Amuda Aluko was very helpful. He promptly came for inspection and recommended us for registration. Dr Amuda Aluko has since left Government service and is the Medical Director of Geri Alimi Hospital, Ilorin. We started with ten beds.

Improvisation

The establishment of the Nursing Home witnessed an era of improvisation. We got a carpenter to make an operating table and a delivery bed. We went to town and bought ordinary school boy Vono beds to be used as patients' beds. A blacksmith made on our instruction and direction Thomas's splints, stirrups for the operating table and drip stands. Our Gallow's splint and Mayo's table were similarly the products of local manufacture following our specifications. In the Nursing Home, we were able with these improvisations to offer facilities for hospital admission, surgical operations and deliveries.