By Chukwuka Ugokwe :
A Pathologist, Prof Chukwudi Okani, has emphasized the importance of establishing impeccable medical diagnosis and determining the cause of death to enhance the nation’s healthcare delivery services.
Okani, disclosed this at ETF Auditorium, Igbariam Campus of the Chukwuemeka Odumegwu Ojukwu University during the 15th Inaugural Lecture Series of the Institution.
Speaking on the theme “Harmony In Healing: Bridging Life’s Journey For The Living And Extracting Wisdom From The Departed” Prof Okani, anchored his lecture on obtaining impeccable diagnosis of diseases as well as application of Autopsy when in doubt.
“I wanted to bring to the fore the major duties of a Pathologist and how a Pathologist is positioned in health sector, being the centre in terms of what we do in making diagnosis and Managing or treating the patients.
“So the Pathologists roles are not easily felt because they are not visible,they are behind the scene. But, meanwhile,that a patient is well is mainly due to the Pathologist’s input”
He described Autopsy Pathology as the study of the cause and manner of death, which he added, knowledge utilised therein could be used in resolving health challenges.
“When somebody dies,there is need to know why the individual died, it is for the good of the living, not for the dead. That is the only situation where you see the dead teaching the living.
“Doing Autopsy is the only situation where a dead person teaches the living because it is from the dead that you will be able to improve the life of the living. So many mysterious things happening around us can only be unravelled if the Pathologist input is sought.
“Extracting wisdom from the departed means that it is from the dead that we learn so much about the living.
“At anytime you have doubts,you don’t understand why a person died, imagine a person died while he was sleeping and he was a healthy person and nobody knew he was sick. Are you not inquisitive to know why the person died? He queried
Prof Okani, who is a Consultant Pathologist at Chukwuemeka Odumegwu Ojukwu University Teaching Hospital, Amaku, Awka, affirmed that awareness on the role of Pathologist was poor and there was a need to improve awareness.
While decrying dearth of the Professionals in nation’s health facilities, he noted that they had contributed significantly in resolving health challenges to ensure human’s physical wellbeing.
