Some indigent patients have benefitted from the Lagos State Free Open Heart Surgery Mission sponsored by the Lagos State Governor, Mr Akinwunmi Ambode, in collaboration with two American non-governmental organisations, Cardiostart International and VOOM Foundation, at the Lagos State University Teaching Hospital, Ikeja.
The surgery, according to a statement on Monday, held between May and June 2018.
Cardiostart International, an NGO based in the United States of America, carried out the free open heart surgery with surgeons and health care professionals of the cardiothoracic surgery unit in LASUTH.
“The Chief Medical Director of the hospital, Prof. Adewale Oke, said the open heart surgery was one of several other surgical interventions by the state government for indigent patients who ordinarily cannot afford to foot the medical expenses of accessing treatment for the congenital heart disease.
“While attesting to the fact that the cost of accessing surgery for heart-related diseases was in excess of millions, the CMD added that the state government and the foreign partners should be commended for embarking on the very expensive mission at no cost on the part of the beneficiaries.
“The Senior Special Assistant to the Governor on Health, Dr Sola Pitan, said the aim of the planned successive missions was to bring succour to people with congenital heart disease and reduce the cost of medical tourism in addition to building capacity of specialists in the hospital,” the statement said.
The Cardiostart International team leader, Dr Emily Farkas, was reported to have said the team came to LASUTH with equipment, supplies and consumables worth hundreds of thousands of dollars for the benefit of the indigent patients.
