Dame Irene Okwuosa Memorial Hospital, Oraifite, a multi-million dollars Nigeria’s World Class Cardiology Facility established by Sir Emeka Okwuosa has been unveiled in Anambra State.
Unveiling the facility to the media at the weekend, Oseloka Offor, media and community mobilisation manager and Aghomishe Aherosuie Ogaga, facility manager, said that the facility would be inaugurated formally on May 12, 2022.
Oraifite is in Ekwusigo Local Goverment Area of Anambra state.
Offor explained that first free open heart surgery at the facility for about 20 selected patients would be performed between May 2 to May 14 by specialist doctors from the Voom Foundation Cardiology Centre, USA.
“The facility’s first open heart surgery is free of charge for Nigerians, irrespective of where you come from, championed by the founder, Sir Emeka Okwuosa, a philanthropist, who loves giving back to the society, to help Nigerians,” he said.
According to him, the facility is a big boost to Nigeria’s medical tourism, a multi-million dollar investment in advance medical science, with specialists in critical care management and automated surgery procedures.
“There is also adequate plans for the facility to transit to a teaching hospital in grooming young talents and medical professionals in Nigeria.
Offor noted that the Sir Emeka Okwuosa Foundation Cardiology Facility Center had employed highly skilled medical experts in cardiology, nephrology, and critical care from all over the world.
He said that the facility, for sustainability would be collaborating/partnership for open heart surgeries with Nnamdi Azikiwe Teaching Hospital (NAUTH) Nnewi, Odumegwu Ojukwu University Teaching Hospital, Awka and Federal Medical Centre, Asaba.
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Also, the Facility Manager, Mr Ogaga further explained that the hospital had a standard process through which to register the patients, noting that it could be done through its website internet or visiting the hospital.
“A lot of patients have registered and some of them may not need surgical intervention, they just need follow-ups and conservative management.
“A lot of these heart issues are congenital, that is people are born with them, so they can come for treatments,” he said.
Ogaga affirmed that it had multi-million dollar cardiology equipment such as Digital Cath Lab/High Definition 128 slides CT scan, Digital X-ray systems from Philips Company.
Others are Direct on Bed Oxygen Delivery, automated ventilators, ICU Unit, state of the art theatres with the most modern equipment to cater for all types of surgeries ranging from minor to supra major surgeries and all manner of systems obtainable overseas.
He said the facility would taken primary/tertiary healthcare services to doorsteps of southeast.
According to him, the facility is taking care of challenges peculiar to ill-equipped hospitals for affordable healthcare/safe surgery such as Tumor usually considered inoperable by hospitals around.
Ogaga said the facility had earlier distributed hundreds of millions worth of Covid-19 palliatives/medical supplies across Anambra and beyond.
He said a medical fair was also held, with 3000 people receiving free drugs, clinical exams, health talks and outdoor checkups as well as provision of crital health intervention drugs to health centres, referral hospitals and teaching hospitals.
He added that the world class facility was also to immortalize Dame Irene Okwuosa, mother of the founder, fearless planner and mentor to many.
