Good News: UCH's 1st Open Heart Operation

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The very first open heart surgery in a training hospital in Nigeria has been successfully carried out at the University College Hospital, UCH, Ibadan, Oyo State.T he feat was carried out by surgeons at the UCH together with a group of surgeons from Tri-State Cardiovascular Delaware, United States of America,A record by the institution's Head of Information Unit, Mr. Toye Akinrinola, disclosed that the four-hour surgery was to improve a leaky heart valve in a 19-year-old secondary school leaver.

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An elated Chief Medical Director of the UCH, Professor Temitope Alonge, noted that the UCH was moved to set about the exercise as a way of alleviating the hardship being experienced by Nigerians with heart-related challenges. He stated that as the first teaching hospital in Nigeria, the UCH should take the lead in critical regions of medicine, propelling it into ensuring that complex surgeries (like open heart surgery) were carried out in the hospital.

 “We're the pioneer teaching hospital in Nigeria, and we should be taking the lead. We are likely to try this and we intend to ensure it is a continuous exercise.

 “In reality, next six months, we intend carrying out not significantly less than 30 heart-related surgeries and at affordable cost to Nigerians.”

Alonge, who lamented that Nigerians pay exorbitantly to undergo such procedures outside the country, pointing out that the lowest priced rate outside Nigeria was about N2.5 million.

“This is beyond your airfare and hotel bills. It will come across millions. But around here, it will be a lot cheaper and the access is there. The very first surgery is heavily subsidised as a way of encouraging Nigerians to possess confidence within our healthcare system.”

Alonge stated that the Federal Government had given the UCH a mandate to enhance on the training of doctors as a way of enhancing more access to adequate healthcare in Nigeria. Leader of the doctors from the USA, Dr. Kamar Adeleke noted that the individual could be back once again to his normal activities in less than two months.

“He does not need anything to fear about life expectancy. He will quickly resume his normal activities, and do everything he used to before he got ill,” - Dr. Adeleke said.

Adeleke gave assurance of his continued support to providing access to adequate healthcare as obtained in other developed countries.After greater than a decade of of inactivity, open heart surgery resumed in the united states at the University of Nigeria Teaching Hospital, UNTH, Enugu, at an average cost of N500, 000.