The President of the Association of Cardiovascular and Thoracic Surgeons of Nigeria (ACTSON), Prof. Umar Abubakar, has canvassed prompt inclusion of advanced cardiac, vascular and thoracic procedures within the National Health Insurance Authority (NHIA), to stem rising cases of cardiac related diseases in Nigeria.

Speaking at the eight Annual General Meeting and Scientific Conference of ACTSON in Ilorin, Kwara State, Abubakar said members of his association had over the years made meaningful impacts into heart procedures but lamented that their efforts were allegedly not being supported with workable government policies.

“I am pleased to state that significant progress has been made by ACTSON and its members. Today, major cardiac, vascular, and thoracic surgical procedures are routinely performed within Nigeria, a testament to years of dedication, training and perseverance.

“At this juncture, ACTSON makes a direct appeal to the Federal Ministry of Health and Social Welfare to support deliberate and enforceable policies that will consolidate these gains. We call for sustained funding for high-impact surgical services of heart related diseases among Nigerians,” Abubakar said.

The theme of this year’s conference is, ‘Global Trends and Local Adaptations in Cardiothoracic Surgery’ while the sub theme is, ‘Overcoming Barriers to Heart and Lung Surgery in Low-Resource Setting.’

The ACTSON leader, who bemoaned the recent tragic death of the Secretary General of the association, Dr. Ndubuisi Anumenechi, urged the government to strengthen the national referral network, scrutinise specialist training pathways and provide increased incentives for workforce retention to complement the efforts of his members at making Nigeria the hub of cardiovascular surgical procedures.

He added: “The Nigerian Heart Registry stands as clear evidence of this progress, serving as a national platform for documentation of cases performed in Nigeria, research, quality improvement, and very soon will serve as policy guidance.”

The Deputy Governor of Kwara State, Kayode Alabi, while declaring open the conference, disclosed that Governor AbdulRahaman AbdulRazaq has placed a high premium on health issues since the inception of his administration.

Represented by Dr. Raji Rasaq, the deputy governor said: “It is important for me to share some of the transformative actions being undertaken in the state through Governor AbdulRahman AbdulRazaq, the Chairman of the Nigeria Governors’ Forum, who has placed high premium on health care of citizens and is investing heavily on both human resources and infrastructural upgrades.

“You would recall the transformation of the former state General Hospital in Ilorin to the Kwara State University Teaching Hospital (KWASUTH) while we are also in active collaboration with the management of Thomas Adewumi University (Oko) to reach the Kwara South Senatorial District by converting the former state-owned General Hospital at Omu Aran to a teaching hospital for the university.

“We have strategically improved access to care, set a foundation for training and retraining of our human resources and made suitable facilities available where modern health care services could be accessed.”

In his goodwill message, the Chief Medical Director of University of Ilorin Teaching Hospital (UITH), Prof. Abdullah DaSliva Yussuf, represented by Deputy Chairman Medical Advisory Committee (D-CMAC), Training and Education, Dr. Bola Olafimihan, advocated for prompt eradication of social class disparity in the health sector to allow indigent patients easy access to complex health issues.

His counterpart from Thomas Adewumi University Teaching Hospital, Omu-Aran Kwara State, Prof. Ademola Popoola, believes that authorities at different strata of governance in Nigeria should invest more in the health sector towards meeting the health needs of the majority of Nigerians.

Earlier, the Chairman, Local Organising Committee, Prof. Peter Adeoye, justified the reason for the conference, noting that it represented the collective resolve to advance cardiothoracic practice in Nigeria via aligning local efforts with global excellence.

In his keynote address, Dr. Itumeleng Tanunyane from South Africa canvassed a strong ecosystem around surgeries and adequate use of standard operating protocols in African hospitals for cardiothoracic surgeries.

Tanunyane observed that health care should not be seen as a luxury but a forced multiplier. He compared the rates of open-heart surgeries in Africa with the rest of the world and concluded that “Africa is lagging behind.”

He called for increased collaborations with surgeons from other climes, noting that cardiothoracic diseases burden transcend natural borders.