LASUTH graduates 10 echocardiography technicians

Lagos State University Teaching Hospital (LASUTH) School of Echocardiography has graduated its first set of echocardiography technicians to address the high cardiovascular care gap.

Chief Medical Director (CMD) of LASUTH, Prof Adetokunbo Fabamwo, who spoke, at the weekend, during the graduation of 10 echocardiography technicians, emphasised the importance of the programme in addressing Nigeria’s critical shortage of trained professionals for cardiovascular care.

Fabamwo said that the school was established to address the high prevalence of cardiovascular conditions in Nigeria, adding that as of 2021, there were only 500 cardiologists in Nigeria serving a population of over 200 million.

He added that the number might have changed slightly due to the emigration of some professionals.

He further explained that the critical role of the echocardiogram machine in diagnosing heart conditions requires highly skilled technicians to support cardiologists.

The CMD, who disclosed that before LASUTH’s school, only a few institutions in Nigeria offered such specialised training, with only one located in the eastern region, said that LASUTH had leveraged its resources to establish the School of Echocardiography, expressing optimism for the graduates’ future.

He encouraged the new technicians to consider contributing their skills within Nigeria.