25 Children Undergoing Open Heart Surgeries At UNTH, Enugu

Twenty-five children drawn from various parts of the country are currently undergoing heart surgeries at the Intensive Care Unit of the University of Nigeria Teaching Hospital (UNTH), Ituku-Ozalla, Enugu State.

Of the number, three are from the Kanu Nwankwo Heart Foundation, while others were referred from various hospitals across the country.

They are infected with various degrees of congenital diseases, which either required replacement of valves or surgeries to correct some deformities.

A team of Surgeons from the William Novic Cardiac Alliance International, United Kingdom, led by Dr. William Novic, which arrived the hospital on Tuesday, is performing the medical mission as part of charity to children with heart deformities.

Chief Medical Director, UNTH, Enugu, Dr. Christopher Amah, said it was the 10th time the hospital was carrying out such surgeries on children since it restarted the Open heart surgeries three years ago.

He said that the hospital has recorded about 95 per cent success since the
programme was started, adding that its target was to end the medical tourism by Nigerians over heart ailments.

Amah stated that the hospital, which is known as Centre for Excellence In Open Heart Surgery, could not, for ten years, run the programme following the movement to the permanent site at Ituku-Ozalla, adding that a facility was also not provided for it at the new site.

He noted that since the resumption of the programme with support from the centre’s oversees partners, including the Voom Foundation and Save a Heart Foundation, based in the UK, over 90 several heart cases, involving children and adults, have successfully been handled.

“You can imagine what it could have been if we did not relocate a ward here and rehabilitated it for the Open Heart Surgery programme. It would have just resulted to our people, especially those without means, to die daily from heart related ailments. We have a growing list of patients waiting to be attended to. Again, you could imagine that here, we are charging less than 25% of what it takes to get cure for heart diseases oversees.”

He called on state and federal governments to show interest in the
programme by either sponsoring people to it or dedicating funds for its sustainability, stressing that, it might be difficult for the hospital to sustain the programme when her oversees partners quits.