Female Neurosurgeons in Nigeria (A Profile)
Profile of Dr. Salamat Ahuoiza Aliu: The First Female Neurosurgeon in Nigeria
Personal Life, School, Family, Career, and Notable Achievements
Dr. Salamat Ahuoiza Aliu is a neurosurgeon from Nigeria.
She was born in Ilorin, Kwara State, in 1980, but she is originally from Okene, Kogi State.
She received her first degree from the University of Ilorin‘s medical school.
Prof. Bello Bala, also known as Prof. BB Shehu, trained Dr. Salamat in neurosurgery at Usmanu Danfodiyo University.
Dr Salamat Ahuoiza Aliu is West Africa’s first female neurosurgeon.
She is also Nigeria’s first indigenously trained female neurosurgeon.
Dr. Salamat previously worked at the National Hospital in Abuja.
She is currently employed by the University of Ilorin Teaching Hospital.
She found the field of neurosurgery to be intriguing, so she decided to specialize in it.
Arewa socio-political group named Dr. Salamat one of the Top 100 People of the Year in 2016 for her outstanding work in neurosurgery and encouragement of women to be a part of the neurological field.
Dr. Salamat co-authored the publication ‘Knotting of a Nasogastric Feeding Tube in a Child with Head Injury’ in 2014.
She is married with children.
Neurosurgery: A Brief Background
Neurosurgery, also known as neurological surgery, is a medical specialty that focuses on the prevention, diagnosis, surgical treatment, and rehabilitation of disorders affecting any part of the nervous system, including the brain, spinal cord, central and peripheral nervous systems, and cerebrovascular system.
Most people associate neurosurgery with brain surgery, but it is more than that.
It is the medical specialty concerned with diagnosing and treating patients suffering from injuries to, or diseases/disorders of, the brain, spinal cord, spinal column, and peripheral nerves throughout the body.
Adult and pediatric patients are both treated in the field of neurosurgery.
In addition, a neurological surgeon may provide surgical and/or non-surgical care depending on the nature of the injury or disease.
Who Exactly is a Neurosurgeon?
A neurosurgeon is a medical specialist in brain surgery. Neurosurgeons are medically trained neurosurgical specialists who can help patients with back and neck pain and a variety of other illnesses ranging from trigeminal neuralgia to head injury and Parkinson’s disease.
