UBTH performs 30 cardiac surgeries in five years

 

… as CMD urges halt on medical tourism

IDRIS UMAR MOMOH, BENIN

In its bid to address medical tourism, the management of the University Benin Teaching Hospital (UBTH) on Wednesday said it had in the last past years successfully performed over 30 cardiac surgeries.

BusinessDay reports that the Chief Medical Director (CMD) of the hospital, Michael Ibadin, who made the disclosure in Benin City, said the surgeries were without any mortality.

Ibadin, who expressed joy with the latest feat of cardiac surgeons in the unit who successfully carried out a heart surgery on an 18-month old girl, Emmanuella Obasogie who was diagnosed with a hole in the heart, said the hospital was poised to commence open-heart surgeries with the near completion of its cardiac centre.

According to Ibadin, presently, “we offer safely many ranges of cardiac surgeries that patients are unwittingly being sent abroad for. These surgeries include patent ductis arteriosus (one of the ‘hole in heart’) ligation, shunts for cyanotic congenital heart diseases, pericardiostomy and pericardietomy.

“We are involved in surgeries of the lung, heart, chest wall and blood vessels. We have been rendering services here successfully for years. It is generally assumed that medical doctors and the health team are essentially doing nothing and our patients are increasingly being sent to India and other foreign countries for surgeries that are routinely and safely offered here in UBTH.

“We urged that all patients with heart disease should be first sent to us here in UBTH and this would further aid our development and allow our collaborative efforts to yield good results. For surgeries, which we are unable to offer, we would be able to offer counselling and medical advice and follow up after the procedure.

“We would be able to arrange for the surgeries in partnership with other centres in Nigeria and abroad, and would be able to substantially reduce cost and other logistics for the patients.”

The UBTH medical director disclosed that funds have been budgeted for the equipment of the Cardiac Centre being built in the hospital, saying the management would explore other means that the centre was funded to meet its needs.

In an interview with newsmen, mother of the little girl, Jeniffer Obasogie, said her daughter was first admitted at the St. Philomena Hospital, Benin City, where she was diagnosed of having a hole in the heart and from there she was referred to see a cardiologist.

Obasogie said they only stayed in the hospital for three days after the surgery and that the baby had being enjoying good health since then.