War against forex drain: ‘UPTH Premium’ begins high-end surgeries, launches free prostrate and fibroid surgeries for indigent patients

High-end surgeries that stop travelling abroad have started at the University of Port Harcourt (UPTH) Premium, a unit established four months ago at the Centre of Excellence in Port Harcourt.

UPTH authorities have revealed that over 500 sensitive surgeries have so far taken place in the past four months, most of them being what they termed ‘high-end’ surgeries that could have been taken abroad.

Inside sources told BusinessDay that there can hardly be any medical condition warranting foreign trip that can no longer be handled at the UPTH Premium, including minimal invasive surgeries (surgeries with little or no bleeding).

This is as the Premium Centre has unveiled a free medical surgery scheme for fibroid and prostrate cases to those who could never have afforded them because of the several millions required to perform them at such a world class centre.

The specialist and world class medical section called UPTH Premium established four months ago by the University of Port Harcourt (UPTH) to create another centre that can compete with anywhere in the world. It is said to be part of the efforts to curtail brain drain in the medical field and to reduce foreign medical trips and the attendant forex drain.

The free surgery scheme was unveiled Wednesday, July 30, 2025, by a team led by Datonye Alasia, the chairman of medical advisory committee (CMAC), who represented Henry Ugboma, the chief medical director on behalf of the management of the Teaching Hospital. Others were Usifor Johnny, the chief operating officer (COO) who runs the Premium Centre, and the surgeons in the scheme. Also present were Rosemary Ogu, a professor of medicine who is the national president of the Medical Women Association of Nigeria (MWAN), and Vincent Nwachukwu, permanent secretary, Rivers State Ministry of Health, who incidentally is from the UPTH.

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Responding to questions, Johnny, the COO, backed by Alasia (CMAC), confirmed that the UPTH Premium was steadily accomplishing the objective of setting it up, which is to provide the best medical interventions ever found anywhere in the world in UPTH.

“We have some of the best medical equipment and personnel found anywhere in the world. We can make any medical or surgical decision and carry it out.”

Sources said the facilities and personnel in Nigeria can handle most of the cases that take Nigeria’s elites abroad, only that they lack confidence in what is at home, plus lack of awareness of what Nigeria can do.

Unveiling the free surgeries, Johnny said a referral system was used to arrive at the 20 candidates for free surgery. He said the essence is to give back to the society while also showing the world what can be done at the UPTH Premium.

The COO said: “In a move that reaffirms its mission to bridge the healthcare gap for underserved populations, UPTH Premium, a state-of-the-art private facility within the UPTH, is unveiling this high-level surgical in-reach programme.”

He went ahead: “Built on the principles of clinical excellence, dignity in care, and community service, the UPTH Premium is a fully equipped, independent healthcare centre located within the UPTH environment to deliver high quality patient-centred care in a serene, private sector styled setting.”

He said the free surgery was only for 20 slots and in two sensitive areas (fibroid and prostrate). Some of the patients spoke with newsmen and expressed huge excitement for the big medical break that came their way.

Few months ago, patients got free pacers (heart machine) to get a chance to live longer, all said to be part of medical outreach or in-reach often launched by the UPTH.

The authorities said the essence was to prove to prospective partners that supporting the UPTH in sensitive medical efforts was a good way to help Nigeria especially in the face of rising medical treatments.

The lead surgeon, a female, said it costs millions of naira to perform each of the sensitive surgeries being offered free and appealed to institutions to help spread the opportunity.

Speaking, Alasia (CMAC), a professor of medicine, said both in-reach and outreach programmes were important ways of helping the society with medical interventions. He said inreach is usually launched in cases where the facilities and personnel needed cannot be moved out of the Hospital.

He mentioned cleft lip issues and other surgeries that have been carried out through outreach programmes. He said the UPTH is 45 years old and would showcase many innovations to mark the anniversary.

The permanent secretary (Nwachukwu), described the free surgeries as wholesome, and said the UPTH Premium is surely reducing foreign medical tourism and curtailing forex exodus.

Appealing to the authorities to consider the most indigent patients, he called for support and partnerships to help the UPTH do more.

Adding her voice, Ogu, the national president of women medical doctors described the Premium Centre as the heart and the best leg of the UPTH, an called for more support and partnership for the teaching hospital.