The department of Anaesthesiology and Intensive Care is responsible for training undergraduate and postgraduate students in Anaesthesia. It also undertakes research and provides services to almost all departments of the hospital. The services include the provision of perioperative Anaesthetic care of all surgical patients (including medical patients requiring invasive investigations), some aspects of palliative care, pain management, resuscitation and management of critically ill patients in the intensive care unit.

Functions:

The department provides a wide range of services to various clinical departments of the hospital as follows:

1.Main operating theatre complex: Elective anaesthetic services are provided to seven (7) surgical subspecialties and emergency anaesthetic services to ENT and Neurosurgery.
2. Urology theatre: Provision of Elective anaesthetic services to Urology, Paediatric and Organ transplant surgical procedures.
3. Obstetrics and Gynaecology theatre complex: Anesthetic services for elective and emergency Obstetrics and Gynecological procedures are provided in this unit. The unit also provides anaesthesia for emergency neonatal surgeries 24/7
4. Ophthalmic theatre suite: Anaesthesia for both elective and emergency ophthalmic surgeries, especially in a paediatric age group, is administered in this unit.
5. A & E theatre: Emergency anaesthetic services for almost all surgical subspecialties are provided in this unit. Furthermore, intermediate elective and day-case anaesthetic services are provided during working hours when there are no emergencies.
6. Intensive care unit: This unit provides supportive care to critically ill patients from all clinical departments with 24hr coverage by a Physician Anaesthetist (minimum of Senior Registrar).
7. Out-of-theatre Anaesthetic services: Departments that currently benefit from
these services are:
¾ Radiology: Sedation for diagnostic and therapeutic imaging (CT scan and Angiography)
¾ Medicine: Central venous cannulation for dialysis patients.
¾ Psychiatry: Anaesthesia for Electroconvulsive therapy (ECT).
¾ Diagnostic Centre: Sedation for day-case investigations.                                         

STANDARD OPERATIONAL PROCEDURE OF ANAESTHESIA AND INTENSIVE CARE DEPARTMENT

The department of Anaesthesia provides anaesthesia services for patients undergoing surgery for both emergency and elective procedures.

The patients are reviewed in the wards the day before surgery or earlier if requested to, for all elective surgeries. This is to ensure safety and readiness of the patient before surgery. Emergency surgeries are reviewed immediately bookings are received.

In the theatre we give anaesthesia which can be general anaesthesia where patient sleeps or original anaesthesia where patient remains awake, but would be pain free.

We ensure the safety of the patient in the theatre while taking care of the airway, ensuring the vital signs of the patient remains normal thus ensuring that the patient is kept alive.

The department also mans the Intensive care unit where we manage all critical ill patients. Like head injured patients, patients that might need airway support and other systemic illnesses.

The Life Support Training Centre in the department runs periodic Basic Life Support and Advanced Cardiac Life Support Training Programmes for both staff of the hospital and other health care providers outside the hospital. This avails health care personnel lifesaving skills to work with.

OBJECTIVES/CORE VALUES OF THE DEPARTMENTS:
• Optimal, prompt and safe Patient care will continue to be our main focus.
• international best practices will be our target in all our standard of care.
• Democratic approach to all affairs of the department.
• Giving Academics its due priority despite the challenge of our tight nature of work.
• Ensure standards in teaching, service and research and be an exemplary department in the country.
• Collaboration with sister departments to uplift our academic and patient management standards.