Abayomi Ajayi, a Medical Doctor, perfects the deployment of High Intensity Focused Ultrasound, Hifu, a new technology that demystifies fibroid treatment.
Dr. Ajayi believes that Nigeria has what it takes to advance medical tourism by becoming a hub of healthcare tourism, once the right things are done. The interview was done by Sylvester Asoya. Culled from ALICE, The Air Peace In-Flight Magazine.
Below are excerpts.
Dr. Abayomi Ajayi, a medical practitioner, comes across as a special doctor with a good dose of moral virtues.
So, a discerning mind, upon first contact, may not look too far to see such qualities as integrity, fairness, resourcefulness and good judgment. Therefore, It is not surprising that this unusual Gynecologist with expertise in noninvasive fibroid treatment and hormonal functioning as regards infertility in women and men, is already a subject of interest in many quarters.
A recent encounter also gave a hint about one man’s quest to change the face of Medicine in Nigeria. Ajayi, unquestionably, is one of the new age doctors whose general outlook and approach to medical practice is breaking barriers, setting new standards and excelling in, more ways than one. With technology, courage, invention and new ideas, this doctor is stimulating creativity in the field of medicine like never before in Nigeria.
One thing that distinguishes NORDICA Fertility Centre, Ajayi’s clinic, is its frontal and wholesome approach to noninvasive fibroid treatment. And, this draws substantially from the facility’s High-Intensity Focused Ultrasound approach, HIFU. This procedure, from investigations and evidential statements, provides exceptional fibroid care to women in need of help. For those who may not be conversant with this module of treatment, a little explanation will suffice. From research, Fibroid is a very common ailment among women in their productive age group.
However, the reality is that about 50 to 70 per cent of women would have fibroid before the age of 50 years. This is nature at work, and man has little or no control over this reality. Although natural, but it could also be troubling. And when fibroid is left untreated, the consequences are
dire, but the most disquieting part is that it affects the quality of life of women under such conditions. There are also other discomforting sides to this ailment like what it brings to menstrual period and the unbearable pains during periods of infertility, among others. Before now, the conventional treatment of this condition was by surgery, which is not a tea party, all things considered. Without a choice in those days, many women would rather live with this condition because of the fear surgery evokes, even in very strong women.
but all that is now history, thanks to the innovation of Ajayi and his strong medical team made up of experts in different medical fields including Fertility Consultants, Fertility Nurses, Embryologists and other professionals. However, it is important to state that before NORDICA Fertility Centre appeared on the scene, there was no exclusive fibroid clinic in Nigeria.
Today, there is a 3-pronged approach to this treatment that include invasive, the minimal invasive and then the noninvasive where NORDICA has made tremendous breakthroughs. According to Dr. Ajayi, “the noninvasive machine that we have happens to be the only one in West Africa. There are only 3 in the whole of Africa, and they are found in South Africa, Egypt and Nigeria. “To start with, it is not every patient; not every woman that can benefit from it. And it is so simple to the point of almost being incredulous. The way it works is that you lie down on the bed with your fibroid, then we observe you with a software on the computer as it burns the fibroid slice-by-slice. One of the most interesting parts is that the whole process takes about two hours to conclude. Then, we monitor you for another two hours and you are free to
go home. That same day, even before leaving the clinic, we would have started serving the patient tea or coffee, depending on her preference. By the next day, she can eat anything she likes. And forty eight hours later, the person can do anything she likes, and the individual is back to her normal life”.
“It is that simple!”
Although his treatment comes at a price, Ajayi still manages to show genuine altruism, dedication and commitment in helping women and other categories of patients who daily throng his medical facilities in three different locations in
Lagos, Abuja, the Federal Capital Territory and Asaba, the capital of Delta State in South-South Nigeria.
As a foremost HIFU fibroid treatment centre and IVF clinic to be reckoned with in Nigeria today, NORDICA FERTILITY CENTRE is bringing solutions, demystifying myths about some medical conditions and expanding its base of operations to different parts of Nigeria.
This is essentially to optimize its potentials and skills which are already having a forceful impact across the country and even beyond. There are indeed positive impacts economically, medically and financially.
For the economic impact, the time spent at work is now less on account of this revolution. A patient can actually go back
to work early, without let or hindrance.
In addition, the time for conception or pregnancy is also shortened and considerably condensed by this singular act. There is ample evidence of women who became pregnant in two or three months after the exercise because the recovery rate is faster, unlike conventional surgery. And from a medical point of view, the manpower needs and requirements are also minimal. The most important things as far as Ajayi and his work is concerned are training and equipment, and they are completely on top of their game in this instance.
Dr. Ajayi, like other specialist doctors, believes that Nigeria has what it takes to advance Medical Tourism by becoming a hub of health care tourism, once the right things are done. This gynecologist who is of the opinion that a lot is still possible, is changing lives and engendering hope from his small corner of the world. So far, he has done over 487 noninvasive medical procedures for fibroids, and he is still working. “Last July, we hit 500. lt is something to be a little bit proud of because it is tasking for one doctor to have done that number in three years without killing himself or killing his patients. And, we have not had any morbidity or mortality.”
With good training, new technologies, equipment, and precision medicine, Ajayi believes that the future is very bright for private medical professionals who are saving lives and extending the frontiers of knowledge and medicine. Therefore, he is not surprised that Nigerians in the diaspora are returning home and seeking solutions, one way or the other even with the many challenges Nigeria
faces. This new window of opportunity for professionalism and business, supported by the patronage of Nigerians abroad is already yielding dividend. And the gynecologist is determined to leverage this opportunity to expand his practice and also put smiles on many faces. “Medical tourism was one of the things that actually inspired us to take on this onerous task.
Many patients are coming from overseas, both for HIFU and IVF, and they are getting value for their time, money and patriotism, and I am happy about that.”
However, a study by this magazine ALICE, revealed that one cause of continuous worry, both to some medical staff and patients, is the issue of Ignorance; and this also manifests in the fact of not knowing and understanding what the real issues are. There are some people today who are quick to believe that fibroid alone causes infertility. So, there is a strong feeling that the destination point for every fibroid treatment is fertility. This is not generally so. Sadly, it is a generally held view. “I know some people, including those in practice who believe so, but the two are different. Fibroid alone, does not cause infertility. The cause of infertility due to fibroid is only about two to three per cent, and this must be understood. Yes, fibroid can be associated with infertility.”
Notwithstanding this common misconception, the facility is still doing extremely well. For instance, inside the clinic’s waiting room in Ikoyi, Lagos, a visitor is welcomed with: “We complete families”, one of NORDICA’s thought-provoking catchphrases that says a lot about this facility that is dedicated to assisting pregnancy, reversing fibroid without surgery and gladdening hearts.
In their waiting room and the adjoining apartments, there are pictures of hundreds of children, playing excitedly. These kids are part of the facility’s 5000 babies, and the number of newborn babies at the place continues to increase, almost on a daily basis.
It is easy to tell from his body language that this doctor’s passion for saving lives has not dimmed, even with lack of funding absence of good infrastructure, widespread ignorance, inconsistent policies and lack of medical personnel.
So, what drives Dr. Ajayi? And what is the ultimate vision of his clinic at a time like this? “I want to reduce morbidity and mortality in fibroid treatment. Some women are aware of the fact that they have fibroid but they do not want to do surgery which means going under the knife. So, they would wait for a very long time until they kill the fibroid or the fibroid would kill them. Naturally, these unnecessary delays in taking action bring about other complicated health issues, including organ problems. This is the narrative, and I want to motivate doctors and other health workers by changing their mindsets and this prevailing narrative. I am fully committed to all these.”
In all these, are there adverse side effects on the patient? “On whether it has side effect, I would say that everything has side effects. However, to mitigate these side effects, training comes in. with HIFU, it is a targeted treatment. Since it is heat that is used to burn the fibroid, there can be “Back Scatter” of the heat which is not intended. That is why we do not let our women sleep during the procedure. We actually let them talk to us. We know that the only area where this could happen is in the abdominal wall where one could have blisters and burns. Since they are fully awake, they tell us when their
abdomen is feeling hot. In such situations, we would pause and change the direction.
We have done over 31 a cases and had only one case of blisters, no burns, and we managed it very well. So, I would say that it is quite safe.”
But beyond NORDICA FERTILITY CENTRE’s major innovations and upscale nature which is incontestable, given its clientele, engendering hope and solving health challenges bring Dr. Ajayi, the greatest joy. And, he is always proud to say so. “What brings me the most joy is to see women who testify about how their lives have changed. The thing about fibroid is that it reduces the quality of life of the person who has it.” According to the gynecologist, women who have fibroid have reduced quality of life, “I know a group of women who once said: ‘Now we can wear white again.”They formed an association because they had their fibroid treated. So, I was touched when they said: ‘Now, we can wear white again.”That is what gives me joy. That you do not need to go under the knife and still be free from fibroid and its symptoms. And your quality of Iife improves.
That is the kick I get from this. That is why we are working very hard to change the narrative on how to treat fibroid.”
Dr. Ajayi has an outgoing personal in spite of a very tight work schedule. He also loves football, and he can actually visit a stadium, even outside Nigeria, for the love of the game. Recently, he added playing
golf to his hobbies because of its inherent health benefits. For this doctor, the journey has only just begun, regardless of his many achievements.
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