... Performs open heart surgery 

 

AFTER its first ever kidney transplant in 2012, the University ofIlorin Teaching Hospital, UITH, is in the news again. It has recorded another major medical feat after its surgeons successfully performed an open heart surgery on two patients. The kidney transplant three years ago made the hospital one of the eight hospitals rendering such advanced service in Nigeria and the only one in the North Central zone. The successful surgery on Aisha Jibril, 15, and Kamalat Balogun, 7, has made the hospital a one of choice for patients with heart diseases as another set of between five and 10 patients are now on the card for the next round of surgical operation in October. Meanwhile, the two patients are reported to be in stable condition and would be discharged soon. 

 

The Chief Medical Director, Prof. Abdulwaheed Olatinwo, said the decision to move the hospital into the field of open heart surgery was predicated on the recognition of cardiovascular diseases as the number one cause of death nationwide arising from non-communicable disease. 

 

According to the CMD, common indications for open heart surgery such as congenital heart diseases are prevalent in Nigeria, occurring in one out of 1 00,000 live births and are a cause of early childhood death or disability when left untreated, lamenting that many of the affected children are from poor families who cannot afford the huge cost of care outside the country. 

 "The hospital management team decided to move the hospital into this new realm of service delivery to give succour to the helpless patients in our society and contribute our quota to reversing the current trend of medical tourism to hospitals outside the country and end the associated capital flight," he said. 

 

Olatinwo disclosed that the first session of the open heart surgery was in collaboration with their partners from Apollo Children's Hospital, India The partnership which he described as strategic has two benefits. Aside from exposing the patients to the highest quality of surgical care comparable to that which is obtainable anywhere in the world, it will also facilitate skills transfer to the UITH cardiac- care team such that subsequent surgeries areentirely carried out by them. 

 

 "Having successfully achieved this mile- stone in the development of our hospital, I am glad to say that we are not resting on our oars. 

 

We will not sit still because our goal is to be- come a one-stop shop for all medical solutions. 

Our next phase of clinical service expansion which will take off within the next few weeks is the commencement of Cosmetic Surgery in our hospital," the CMD revealed. Commending the Federal Government and well-meaning individuals such as Chief Raimi Oladimeji, Engineer and Dr. (Mrs) Oyeleke and the Managing Director ofSEAP, Pastor Oladokun for their invaluable support towards the success of the programme, the CMD said a lot more needs to be done if the new phase of clinical care in the hospital is to be sustained. 

 

 

 "A lot of financial investment is required and I want to use this opportunity to appeal to the government at all levels, public-spirited individuals and corporate organisations to partner with the UITH to fully equip the Cardiac Centre to include a Cardiac Catheterisation Laboratory, We have already purchased a heart-lung machine which was used during the recent mission Equipping the centre is next on the list of things to do," according to the CMD. 

 

He highlighted the challenges confronting the hospital, majorly in areas of power supply, potable water supply and inadequacy of access road to the hospital, pointing out that the hospital has been able to turn the challenges to opportunities through maximal utilisation of available resources, intelligent planning, team focus and commitment to excellence. 

 

In his remarks, the leader of the Indian medical team, Dr. Neville Solomon, noted that paediatric heart surgery is labour-consumning, time-consmning and money-consuming, adding that "children who have heart surgery without proper infrastructure will die like flies." The rest two other members of the 

Indian medical team are Rajagopal and Sunlar. 

 

According to him, his hope is to turn UITHa referral centre in the sub-region where cases of heart surgery could be performed with little or no input from Appollo Hospital. This, he said, will reduce medical tourism currently experienced in the Country. The Indian Medical team's leader disclosed that he has performed over 3000 free heart surgery in India and Asian countries and promised this will soon be on regular basis at the UITH. 

 

Speaking on the condition of the patients, parent of one of the two beneficiaries, Mallarn Jibrin from Lade in Patigi Local Government Area of Kwara State, said her weighted aged 15 was saved through the operation and expressed joy at the rate the girl responded to treatment. 

 

According to him, Amina's rate of recovery was astonishing because three hours after the surgery, she opened her eyes and started some communications, Jibrin thanked God and management of UITH for their assistance because  "I can't afford to raise money for the operation but they asked us to look for 30 percent of the total cost and they bear the rest 70 percent", adding "if not where could I have been able to raise over N1.8million as a civil servant" 

 

BY LAYI OLANREWAJU

Daily Sun