AL-HAU24news

From Hauwau Mohamed

Governor Abdullahi Sule of Nasarawa state has commended Management of Federal Medical Center (FMC) Keffi for successful conducting open heart surgeries for 14 less privileged patients suffering from different heart cases.

He applauded the Management in an interview with newsmen in Keffi local government area of the state shortly after carrying out a brief tour of the operation theatre and the Intensive Care Unit ( ICU), in the hospital where the surgeries was carried out and where the patients are been kept.

Represented by his deputy, Dr Emmanuel Akabe described the effort as a rare feat for the health center, the state and the country at large and called for it to be sustained in a periodic manner.

“I am quite impressed with I have heard and what I have seen. I have thanked the team handling this project for what they are doing in Nasarawa state because what is been done in Keffi is been done in Nasarawa and Nigeria as a whole because the beneficiaries of this project are Nigerians,” he said.

He urges for more partnership with other organizations so as to complement government’s effort in healthcare delivery.

: Government will support the health center to enable them achieved it’s goals.

On his part the Chief Medical Director (CMD), of Federal Medical Center (FMC), Dr Yahaya Adamu, revealed that the project which started on April 28, 2023 will be concluded on May 26, 2023 with more surgeries carried out.

He however said so far, 14 surgeries have been successful carried out on 14 less privileged paediatric patients suffering from various degree of heart problems.

He appreciated an international Non Governmental Organization called Hospitals For Humanity for the collaboration in carrying out the project also credited the combined efforts of paediatricians, surgeons, nurses and other health specialists in the health center for the success achieved so far.

“This is the second phase of the project that we started now. We started on the 28th of April for the first phase. The team that did the first set of surgeries came from Saudi Arabia and they were all successful. Because they are volunteers, they did theirs and left.

“Now we have a second set of team from the United States of America and India. So far in this second phase we have done five surgeries. In the first phase we did nine surgeries. But we hope to do more before the project is concluded on May 26,” he said

He described the diseases suffered by the patients to include various anomalies within the heart, both simple and complex cases, including ventricular septal defect, double chamber right ventricle and a patient who had a device placed somewhere in his body but moved to his heart among others.

Adamu added that giving the capital intensive nature of the project, the medical center plans to collaborate with the state government, more non governmental organizations and well meaning Nigerians who will help the center by contributing into a fund which will be used to cater for each patient scheduled for surgery in the future.

He also pointed out that there are plans by the health center to develop capacity through periodical heart surgeries thereby affording the surgeons the opportunity to perfect the skills learnt from foreign partners for the benefit of nigerians.

In another interview, Dr Myna Shegos, Executive Director, Hospitals for Humanity, from Geogia, United States disclosed that the organization has been in Nigeria since 2021.

She explained that they have been operating in Garki General Hospital, Abuja; Jos University Teaching Hospital (JUTH), Plateau; Ibom Specialist Hospital and University of Uyo Teaching Hospital; Akwa Ibom State, focussed on providing free pediatric open-heart surgeries and cardiac catheterization to children.

She then called for support to enable them succeed.