In line with its annual commemoration of the World Heart Day, the Cardio-thoracic Unit, OAUTHC Ile-Ife, organised a press conference to sensitise the public on heart health.
In his opening remarks, the head of the Cardiac Surgical Team, OAUTHC, Prof. Uvie Onakpoya unveiled the progress made so far in the open heart surgery at OAUTHC, being the only federal teaching hospital in Nigeria that specialises in that field.
Professor Onakpoya noted that over 150 surgical cases have been successfully recorded between 2016 and 2023, with 80 percentage success rate.
He stressed that this has been a major transition and upward trajectory in Open Heart Surgery in Nigeria.
Prof. Onakpoya announced OAUTHC Cardiac Surgical Team partnership with the Lagos State University Teaching Hospital to carry out trainings in cardiac surgical operations in other hospitals in Nigeria, pioneering with Uthman Dan Fodio University Teaching Hospital, Sokoto in 2021 and University of Benin Teaching Hospital in 2022.
Prof. Onakpoya stressed further that open heart surgery comes with an intensive cost, citing that the paucity of fund on the part of indigent patients and late diagnosis as the major challenges.
While making her speech, the Director, Nursing Services, Mrs. Mary Bifarin underscored the impact of the cardiac surgical team to fashion out better innovations to mitigate the challenges, adding that the team’s work was a collective one and should continue to be handled as such in compassion, dedication and high sense of commitment.
In his address, the Chief Medical Director, Prof. John Okeniyi extolled the feats attained by the entire team, saying that this has lessened the challenges encountered in the cardiology surgical operations in the Nigeria.
Prof. Okeniyi further assured that the management would continue to create an enabling environment to address the challenges faced in that regard.
He also pointed out that funding, private partnership and other forms of improvement would go a long way to dissuade medical tourism in Nigeria.
