OJIEGBE: Abia Born Medical Doctor Emerges As One Of First Subspecialists In Infertility And Assisted Reproduction (IVF) Of The West Africa College Of Surgeons

A consultant obstetrician and gynecologist with the Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology of the Federal Medical Centre, and coordinator of the IVF programme of FMC Umuahia, Dr Nnabuike Okechukwu OJIEGBE, has been inducted as one of the first subspecialists in the subspecialty of Infertility and Assisted Reproduction in the Faculty of Obstetrics and Gynecology of the West Africa College of Surgeons.

The induction of subspecialist diplomates was the high point of the recently concluded 63rd Annual Conference of the West Africa College of Surgeons held in Lome, Togo.

[caption id="" align="alignnone" width="930"] Dr Nnabuike Ojiegbe, first from the left with other diplomates. Third and forth from left are Assoc. Prof Ibrahim Wada and Emeritus Prof. Osato F. Giwa-Osagie respectively, frontline pioneers of the practice of IVF in Nigeria and training of subspecialists in Infertility and Assisted Reproduction.[/caption]

The diplomate is the culmination of the yearlong didactic & hands on training of post fellowship specialist gynaecologists, in the subspecialty of infertility and assisted reproduction, hosted by the only accredited institution in West Africa, the Nisa Premier Hospital, Abuja, under the auspices of the West Africa College of Surgeons (WACS).

This is another milestone by the management of Federal Medical Centre, Umuahia, ably led by the Medical Director, Prof. Azubuike Onyebuchi, in positioning the institution for modern subspecialty service delivery across medical specialties by sponsoring deserving professionals to capacity and competence building trainings.

You will recall that the FMCU reconstituted the fertility team of the IVF centre in 2016 with Dr Nnabuike Ojiegbe as the coordinator, and since then many fertility challenged couples have been assisted by the unit to have families.

[caption id="" align="alignnone" width="675"] Dr Nnabuike Okechukwu OJIEGBE[/caption]

The maiden diplomate in Infertility and Assisted Reproduction of the WA college, Dr Nnabuike Ojiegbe, hails from Amaedukwu Nkpa, in Bende LGA of Abia state. He trained and qualified as the first obstetrician and gynaecologist from the Federal Medical Centre, Umuahia residency training programme and was subsequently appointed the first consultant obstetrician and gynaecologist wholly trained in the department of Obstetrics and Gynaecology in FMCU.

All facts newspaper also gathered that the completed state of the art, purpose-built IVF centre, constructed by the Prof. Azubuike Onyebuchi led management, the first and only of its kind in a Federal Medical Centre in South East Nigeria is poised to be commissioned/opened for service delivery soon.