The Modibbo Adama University Teaching Hospital (MAUTH) in Yola, Adamawa State, is emerging as a critical centre for complex paediatric care in Nigeria, following the successful separation of its sixth set of conjoined twins in 10 years.
At a discharge ceremony held in Yola, Abubakar Auwal, Chief Paediatric Surgeon, confirmed that the latest operation, performed on twins joined at the abdomen, was completed without complications, marking another milestone in the hospital’s growing surgical capacity.
According to Auwal, MAUTH carried out its first conjoined twins separation in 2013, and has steadily built expertise through multidisciplinary collaboration.
He credited the success to improved teamwork among specialists, including paediatricians, radiologists and nursing staff, as well as better institutional experience over time.
Beyond the medical achievement, Auwal used the moment to highlight broader challenges in Nigeria’s healthcare system.
He called for increased Government investment in funding, training and infrastructure to sustain such high-level procedures locally. Strengthening the sector, he said, would help reduce the growing trend of medical tourism and address the shortage of healthcare professionals driven by migration, often referred to as the “Japa” phenomenon.
Notably, the hospital provided the entire treatment free of charge, covering surgery, medication and hospital stay despite the procedure costing millions of naira.
Adamu Bakari, Chief Medical Director of MAUTH, said the hospital’s progress reflects years of deliberate expansion. From a modest 100-bed facility in 1999, MAUTH has grown into an 800-bed institution equipped with advanced diagnostic tools such as CT and MRI services.
He noted that the hospital attracts patients from across the Country for specialised paediatric procedures, reinforcing its status as a referral centre in Nigeria’s North-East.
Bakari reiterated the need for sustained Government and stakeholder support to maintain and expand the hospital’s capacity for comprehensive, in-house care.
For the family of the twins, the outcome is deeply personal. Their grandfather, Jibir Adamu, expressed gratitude to the medical team for saving the children’s lives and providing free, high-quality care.
The case is made more poignant by the loss of the twins’ mother, who died shortly after childbirth.
As MAUTH continues to deliver complex surgeries once considered rare in Nigeria, its experience underscores both the potential and the pressing needs of the country’s healthcare system.
