Jos University Teaching Hospital (JUTH) has reaffirmed its commitment to improving burns care through multidisciplinary collaboration, advocacy, and continuous medical education during its Grand Rounds held on Friday, September 4, 2026, at the College of Health Sciences Auditorium.
The Grand Rounds, themed “Beyond Survival: Multidisciplinary Management of Major Burns in Low-Resource Setting: Case Report and Call to Prevention,” brought together healthcare professionals from various specialties to examine the comprehensive management of major burns, from emergency care and intensive care management to rehabilitation, mental health support, nutrition, infection control, and burn prevention. The session featured a case presentation and an overview of burn injury, followed by multidisciplinary presentations highlighting the roles of intensive care, anaesthesia, nutrition, medical microbiology, chemical pathology, mental health, physiotherapy, social work, perioperative nursing, plastic and burn care nursing, pharmacy, and burn prevention in achieving better outcomes for burn patients.
A major advocacy message came from Prof. Simon Yiltok, Consultant Plastic and Reconstructive Surgeon, who called for the establishment of a fully equipped Burns Centre at JUTH, complete with a dedicated burns theatre and Intensive Care Unit (ICU). He stressed that a specialized burns centre would significantly improve survival rates and the quality of care for patients with severe burns. Prof Yiltok called for intensified public awareness, urged policymakers, petroleum marketers and regulatory agencies to support investments in specialised burns care and research.
A moving moment during the Grand Rounds came from a recovered burn survivor and journalist, Mr. Polycarp Auta, who shared his remarkable journey after spending three months in JUTH’s Intensive Care Unit. He recounted how the compassionate care, encouragement, and dedication of JUTH’s multidisciplinary team helped him survive severe burns and regain his life. Mr. Auta also advocated for stronger national policies on burns care, expanded health insurance coverage for burns treatment, and increased investment in specialized burns facilities across Nigeria.
Rounding off the presentations, Dr. Akintayo, Consultant Plastic and Reconstructive Surgeon, called for stronger advocacy on burns prevention and improved burns care. He stressed that many burn injuries are preventable through increased public awareness and proper first aid, warning against applying substances such as oil or toothpaste to burn wounds because they increase the risk of infection. He advised cooling burns with clean potable water and emphasized prompt hospital care for major burns. Dr. Akintayo also highlighted early wound excision and skin grafting as critical life-saving interventions.
In his closing remarks, the Chairman, Medical Advisory Committee (CMAC), Dr. Njem Miner, who represented the Chief Medical Director, Dr. Pokop Bupwatda, commended the multidisciplinary team for their dedication to patient care. He acknowledged the resource challenges facing the hospital, reaffirmed management’s commitment to continuously improving healthcare delivery, and emphasized that JUTH Grand Rounds has evolved into a hospital-wide academic and clinical programme involving management, departments, and all stakeholders in patient care.
The Grand Rounds concluded with a renewed call for teamwork, public awareness, and sustained advocacy as JUTH continues to advance burns prevention and multidisciplinary burns care through collaboration, research, and continuous medical education.
GALLERY
