The Department of Paediatrics has been in existence since the hospital was established in the year 2000. It was initially run by 4 Medical Officers who were supervised by visiting Consultants. Some of these Medical Officers were sent for residency training and the department now has 4 resident Consultants, 2 Senior Registrars, 3 Registrars and 8 Medical Officers. These officers provide care to all children from birth to 15 years of age presenting to the hospital, with plans to expand and include adolescent care.
The department is composed of four units; the Emergency Paediatric Unit (EPU), the Paediatric Medical Ward (PMW) and the Paediatric Out-Patient Unit (POPD) which are all situated in the Paediatrics complex at the hospital’s permanent site. The Paediatric Intensive Care Unit (PICU) which is also situated within the complex is currently run by both the Paediatric and the ICU nurses. The Special Care Baby Unit (SCBU) is situated in proximity to the delivery suite at the centre’s old site. The POPD operates on a daily basis independent of a Sub-specialty Clinic which caters to patients four days weekly. Our clients also have access to immunization services as well as services offered by nutritionists.
Currently, we are involved in the training of house officers and post graduate residents in Paediatrics. Clinical research is being conducted regularly at intra- and interdepartmental levels.
Residency Accreditation
The Department received a partial accreditation from the West African College of Physicians in 2020 which expired in July, 2022.
Staff Disposition and Schedules
The department is composed of consultants, resident doctors, house officers and nurses as well as an array of non-medical support staff.
Staffing
Full time Consultants = 4
Visiting Consultants = 4
Residents = 13
Paediatric Outpatient Services
The department operates a daily paediatric out-patient unit from 8am to 4pm, manned by the residents as well as sub-specialty clinics with supervision by the Consultants within the Paediatric Complex. The complex has 6 consulting rooms, 3 reserved for the out-patient clinics and 3 for the subspecialty clinics each day. There is also a nursing/triage station manned by a nurse and health assistants as well as a patient waiting area.
Emergency Paediatric Unit
Emergency paediatric services are offered within the complex. It contains 8 partitioned cubicles containing 4 beds each and a Nurses station. There are 30 beds in total. There is a designated cubicle where patients are admitted and resuscitated before being assigned a bed as well as a patient waiting area. Within the unit there is a house officers call room and other rooms for other supporting staff. The unit is covered by 3 residents and Consultants are posted to the unit on a weekly basis for supervision.
Paediatric Medical Ward
This ward is where stable in-patients are cared for and is also found within the Paediatrics complex and has 29 beds. There is a 2- bed Paediatric ICU and a house officers call room in the unit.
Other services within the complex include:
1. Paediatric Pharmacy Unit
2. Side Laboratory
3. Nutrition Unit
4. Medical Social Welfare Unit
5. Play Area
6. Medical E-Library
7. Health Information Management Unit
8. Billing and Revenue Unit
Other offices within the complex include; fully furnished Consultants offices, Chief Resident Office, Call rooms for 2nd and 3rd on call, Residents reading room and a Seminar room.
Special Care Baby Unit
The Special Care Baby Unit is located at the hospital’s old site close to the delivery suite and caters for children from birth to 28 days of life. It has an inborn area with 6 cots and 4 functioning incubators and a resuscitaire while the outborn has 3 cots, an incubator and one resuscitaire. There is a breastfeeding room, doctor’s consulting office, changing rooms as well as a house officers call room within the unit. Bed spaces are available for breastfeeding mothers within the Antenatal ward just adjacent to the SCBU. There is also an allocated call room for the SCBU 2nd on call. A transport incubator is available in the main operating theatre for transport of babies that need admission into the SCBU. The unit is covered by a 2 residents and a Consultant.
Summary of Bed Spaces in the Department
- Emergency Paediatric Unit
30 bed spaces - 19 beds and 11 cots
- Paediatric Medical Ward
29 bed spaces – 24 beds and 5 cots
- Special Care Baby Unit
14 bed spaces - Inborn (6 cots and 4 incubators) Outborn (3 cots and 1 Incubator)
The department holds academic training activities as listed below:
1. Weekly Monday morning weekend reviews. (Mondays;8am-9am)
2. Forthnightly Tutorial/Seminars. (Tuesdays;2pm-4pm)
3. Monthly Clinical Procedures Demonstration.(Tuesdays;2pm-3pm)
4. Forthnightly Grandrounds. (Wednesdays;2pm-4pm)
5. Monthly Journal Club/Dissertation Presentation.(Tuesdays; 2pm-4pm)
6. Weekly Mortality and Morbidity Reviews. (Thursdays;2pm-4pm)
7. Weekly Ward statistics presentation.(Fridays; 8am-9am)
8. Monthly unit statistics presentation(Fridays;8am-9am)
9. Quarterly Joint Perinatal Morbidity/Mortality Presentation with the Department of Obstetrics and Gynaecology.(Fridays;8am-9am)
10. Monthly Interdepartmental improvement Performance meetings. (Wednesday;2pm-4pm)
House officers training
The hospital is accredited to train 36 house officers by the MDCN and there are currently 8 house officers in the department. House officers are also made to rotate through all the units except for the community posting during the period of their postings.
