…. Urged Philanthropist To Support Patients As Each Subsidised Surgery Costs N3.3M
The Lagos State University Teaching hospital (LASUTH) has successfully completed about 102
open heart surgeries.
LASUTH’s Cardiothoracic Surgery Unit, who disclosed this at a webinar tagged ‘Open Heart Surgery in Nigeria – The Role of LASUTH’, said efforts are being made to increase the number significantly.
In his opening address, the Chief Medical Director of LASUTH, Prof. Adetokunbo Fabamwo, said that institutionalising open heart surgery in LASUTH is now a reality.
He went down memory lane, as far back as 20 years ago, when the first foreign heart surgery mission was carried out in LASUTH by a surgical team from Chicago in the USA.
The CMD commended the entire Cardiac Surgery Team for its persistent efforts in carrying out regular Open-Heart Surgery in LASUTH, while noting that though challenges abound, the Board and Management of the hospital are determined to ensure that the ultimate goal is achieved.
The head of the Cardiothoracic Surgery Unit and Consultant Cardiothoracic Surgeon, Professor Bode Falase pointed out that between 2004 and 2019, the LASUTH team was exposed to a lot of training to scale up the effectiveness of the professionals in the Unit, adding that such trainings include but not limited to the multidisciplinary trainings for Surgeons, intensive Care Nurses and Anaesthetists.
Falase said the cardiac team is resolved to reduce the complications associated with high-risk cases to the barest minimum, and this can be achieved by increasing the capacity to test and consult with more patients so that more patients are operated while their cases are still in the early stages.
He explained that such patients have better chances of quick recovery. Pointing out that everything that requires growth will definitely face challenges, Falase brought to the fore the issue of financing surgeries as a challenge that many patients are faced with.
He used the opportunity to make a plea to organisations and philanthropic individuals to sponsor patients who need open heart surgeries but are unable to afford
such.
He said the highly subsidised cost of surgery in LASUTH is about N3.3 million.
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