Dokita Volume 29 - emergency medicine edition

It is not the Critic who counts…

The credit belongs to the man who is actually in the arena, whose face is marred by dust and sweat and blood, who strives valiantly, who errs and comes up short again and again because there is no effort without error or shortcoming, but who knows the great enthusiasms, the great devotions, who spends himself for a worthy cause; who, at least he fails while daring greatly, so that his face will never be with those cold and timid souls who knew neither victory nor defeat.
 
Theodore Roosevelt, Paris, 1910.

The Emergency Medicine Edition is finally out. The Editorial Board has over the past year gone through its fair share of experiences (we prefer to call them challenges).

The New board year started with the organisation of the 2^nd Edition of the Prof. O.O Akinkugbe Biennial Quiz Competition. It was quite an experience and was indeed a meeting of the best minds in Medical Schools across the country. It is hoped that subsequent editions will be held in other medical schools to increase participation by a larger number of medical schools and increase diversity.

One major factor that has the board on its toes is the issue of funds. We have in recent times experienced a ‘donor fatigue’ in response to our appeal for funds from individuals and corporate bodies. This response has been attributed to the dwindling fortunes in every aspect of our economy. To counteract this unfortunate syndrome, the board has come up with the DOKITA Editorial board endowment fund- a scheme intended to raise Two Million Naira (from thousand units of two thousand naira). It is hoped that the interest generated from the deposit of this sum in a reputable bank will be sufficient to run the board and put an end to our letters soliciting for funds.

The Words “Emergency Medicine” bring to mind a scene of a patient being rushed in a fully equipped ambulance to the nearest hospital with all the necessary medical equipment and of course medical personnel available to save lives. This scenario is sadly not the case in Nigeria as can be attested to by anyone who has come upon an accident site on any of our expressways or who has rushed a relative to the hospital only to be told there are no facilities available to manage the patient. We hope and pray for better times.

The Emergency Medicine Edition is a cornucopia of articles written by experts on various emergencies in their fields. Such articles are Compartment syndrome, Acute glaucoma, Sickle Cell crisis, Diarrhoeal diseases, etc. The Student papers also reflect common emergency presentations seen in the emergency room. The winning essay for the annual Prof J.A Adeleye Essay Competitionand the best Igbo-Ora project are as usual included in this journal. On the lighter side, the DOKITA Extras section includes various views on life as a house officer and as a casualty officer and poems by medical students. As usual excellence in every sphere is emphasized.

As usual the Editorial Board in its tradition of excellence has set out to produce a journal of the highest standards. We have faced different challenges but they have only made us more determined to continue the work started forty-three years ago. Like our predecessors we shall pass on our torch still brightly burning.

The Editorial Board would certainly not have achieved so much this year on its own.

We give thanks to Our God and Father who has given us life and the strength and grace to give our best even when we did not think we were capable of doing so.

We would also like to thank Prof. O.O Akinkugbe for the fatherly advice, support and help he gives us whenever we ask for it. We are indeed grateful.

To Prof A.O Omigbodun and all our editorial consultants, thank you for giving us your time and helping us out whenever we needed it. We look forward to many more years together.

To Prof Jaiye Thomas, we appreciate your contributions to the board over the years and we are indebted to you for your role in lifting the board to the heights we have attained. Thank you very much.

I would also like to appreciate Prof A.O Oyegunle who wrote the foreword to this year’s journal.

Finally, to the team who worked hard to make this possible, the members of the DOKITA Editorial Board, you have spent yourselves for a worthy cause, well done.

Olaoluwatomi Lamikanra

Editor-in-Chief

May 2003