By Asmau Ahmad
The National Hospital, Abuja on Saturday successfully carried out open heart surgery on twelve children with heart diseases of varying complexities. The Chief Medical Director (CMD) of the hospital, Dr Jafaru Momoh who disclosed this to news men in Abuja, said that the six surgeries conducted were in collaboration with the Hospital for Humanity (HfH), a US-based NGO, under a seven-year collaborative contract agreement which brings the total number of heart surgeries conducted by the hospital to 12.
The CMD explained that the continuous collaboration is to ensure that our core function of providing expert medical care is met and also to limit medical tourism which would further enhance technology and skills transfer to local team of experts, thereby enabling sustainability of the programme in future.
Dr Momoh told news men that, the open heart surgery is a method of correcting the hole in the heart of people, among other medical complications called on Nigerians to avail themselves of the available specialized facilities and services in the hospital to better their health
In his remarks, the Chief Executive Officer, HfH, Segun Ajayi assured Nigerians of the commitment of the hospital in ensuring that no child dies of heart diseases. According to him, HfH entered into partnership with Nigeria to ensure that no child dies any further due to heart surgery problem while emphasizing that No child who needs open heart surgery will be left behind and committed to the Nigerian child.
A parent of one of the patients Mr Dikko Balarabe who spoke to Health reporters commended the hospital for successfully operating his son that had heart problem said ‘Since my son was discharged from the Intensive Care Unit, there has not been any problem called on parents whose children have any form of heart problem to avail themselves of this opportunity thereby saving them from untimely death.
