Practice makes perfect — training the next generation of Nigeria's health workers
This visual story is produced in partnership with
Dr. Adeola Adekunle
By Linus Unah
Dr. Adeola Adekunle is a senior resident doctor and trainee surgeon in Lagos. His success is a product of constant learning — even in the midst of a pandemic.
Intermittent beeps from the anesthesia machine permeate the operating room. A ceiling-mounted surgical light beams over the face of Mirabel Nwokorie, a 23-month-old baby, about to undergo a cleft palate repair.
After the anesthetists have put the baby to sleep, Dr. Adeola Adekunle, a senior resident doctor and an oral and maxillofacial surgeon at the Lagos University Teaching Hospital, fits a metal device inside her mouth to keep it open.
A nurse nearby hands him scalpels and scissors on request. Adekunle looks relaxed, focused and unfazed by the task before him.
He occasionally chats to his trainers and colleagues Dr. Olugbemiga Ogunlewe and Dr. Olutayo James, during the procedure. Sporadic chuckles and banter among the team add a spark of liveliness to the room.