The Federal Capital Territory Administration (FCTA) has positioned Abuja’s Wuse District Hospital at the forefront of women’s healthcare innovation with the installation of Nigeria’s first High-Intensity Focused Ultrasound (HIFU) machine in a public hospital.
Beyond the ceremonial handover, the development signals a major shift in how fibroid treatment may be accessed by ordinary Nigerians, particularly women who have long been forced to choose between expensive private care and invasive surgery.
The HIFU machine, donated by Nordica Fertility Centre during the Abuja Reproductive Health Week 2026, will allow doctors at Wuse District Hospital to treat uterine fibroids without surgery, blood loss, or prolonged hospital admission.
Speaking during the handover, the Mandate Secretary of the FCTA Health Services and Environment Secretariat, Dr. Dolapo Fasawe, announced that the administration would offer free HIFU treatment to the first 100 eligible patients, describing the move as part of efforts to expand access to advanced healthcare services in public hospitals.
For many women, fibroid treatment has traditionally meant major surgery such as myomectomy or hysterectomy, procedures that often require hospitalization, blood transfusions, and weeks of recovery. HIFU changes that equation entirely.
The technology uses concentrated ultrasound waves to destroy fibroid tissue from outside the body, eliminating the need for surgical cuts. Patients can often return home the same day and resume normal activities within one or two days.
The significance of the development lies not only in the technology itself, but in where it is being deployed.
Until now, HIFU treatment in Nigeria was largely confined to a handful of high-end private fertility centres, placing it beyond the reach of many women due to cost. Its arrival at a government-owned hospital marks the first time the treatment will be integrated into the country’s public healthcare system.
Medical experts say this could reduce the burden of delayed treatment, complications from untreated fibroids, and the financial strain many families face when seeking specialized reproductive care.
Presenting the equipment, Dr. Abayomi Ajayi, Managing Director of Nordica Fertility Centre, said the donation was aimed at strengthening reproductive healthcare infrastructure and deepening collaboration between the private sector and government health institutions.
Dr. Fasawe, while commending Nordica for the intervention, noted that sustainable healthcare delivery requires strong public-private partnerships. She recalled that the fertility centre had earlier donated a colposcopy machine to Wuse District Hospital in 2024 for cervical cancer screening.
She assured residents that the new equipment would be properly maintained and used strictly for improving women’s health services in the FCT.
The development comes at a time when fibroid cases remain widespread among African women, with many seeking treatment only after symptoms become severe due to cost, fear of surgery, or limited access to specialized care.
With the HIFU centre now operational at Wuse District Hospital, health officials say Abuja residents can expect a new era of minimally invasive reproductive healthcare within the public hospital system.
