Determined to discourage health tourism and improve its services, the University of Lagos Teaching Hospital (LUTH) has just concluded another round of open-heart surgeries in the past week.
A team of Nigerian and Indian specialists successfully operated six Nigerian children and one adult. Chief Medical Director (CMD) of LUTH, Prof. Chris Bode, told journalists on Tuesday: “Three of the patients are already discharged and the rest should be back home in the next few days. This is the second time open-heart surgeries have been performed in LUTH since the first round of operations in 2014. It is however the decision of the present administration to institutionalize cardiac surgery and make it a routine in LUTH so it will no longer be a news item.”
Open-heart surgery was first successful performed in Nigeria by the team of led by Prof Samuel Adebonojo at the University College Hospital (UCH), Ibadan in 1979. Sustainability has bedeviled the project and the entire team of cardiac specialists later immigrated to the Gulf States in search of greener pastures during the economic turmoil of the mid-eighties.
Reacting to the question, what is special about open-heart surgery? Bode said: “The heart is one of three most vital organ which works continuously all life and without which the body is dead. It does not rest and ordinarily cannot stop for repairs of any defects. It is also commonly affected by inborn errors such as holes in the heart, abnormal connections and a sundry of other birth defects that can cripple or kill if left uncorrected. Adults may also suffer surgically correctible heart conditions such as damage to valves and a host of other conditions. Operations to repair such defects require specialists trained to recognize, assess and prepare the patient for their particular procedures. Cutting-edge machines are required to diagnose, assess and later at surgery, take over the functions of the heart while it is being repaired. Other equipment must continuously monitor the patient while the specialists perform precise, pre-planned procedures.
Sometimes, surgical operations are performed on a beating heart. Other times, the heart is completely stopped from beating wile machines take over. The heart is then restarted at the end of surgery.
“Post-operative care is elaborate and round the clock. Surgeons, physicians, nurses, intensivists, anaesthetists, laboratory scientists, microbiologists, pharmacists, technical support groups, the kitchen and many others must work as a team to ensure the patient recovers fully and goes home as soon as possible. In our clime, maintenance crew of engineers and support service men are also on standby. There is very little margin for errors. Thus when you hear that a batch of these operations has just been concluded, teams that may number more than 30 persons have not slept at home for over a week, tending courageously to these patients. It is a truly great and heady process to behold and it typifies the very reason why and how we, the medical teams should serve our people.”
On what lessons have been learnt since then to make LUTH think this present round of cardiac surgeries will find roots in this present economic climate and what is different? Bode said: “The past 35 years has bred a homegrown cadre of young Nigerians who have trained both locally and internationally, adopting the best practices of both climes to establish and build capacities in diverse areas of human endeavor. They are more self-reliant and they are quietly rebuilding our medical landscape. Thus, teaching hospitals in Ife, Ilorin, Ibadan, Lagos, UNTH and a couple of others have been promoting this advanced form of surgical service and they are impactful.
“We are on the cusp of the next stage: indigenizing open heart surgery in Nigeria. Presently, our specialist centres struggle to equip their operation theatres and then invite specialists from abroad to work with Nigerian surgeons to ensure proper protocols are followed. Through this, human and material capacities are built. This has been going on for a while and the time is nigh for open-heart surgeries to be routinely performed until it stops being a news item in the county. It is cheaper, most convenient for our patients and it is a prideful way to rebuild the much lacking confidence in our services among the populace. Furthermore, Nigerians deserve the best and it is high time we moved away from these spates of unproductive strike actions, roll up our sleeves and serve the people…”
“It also makes economic sense to perform those surgeries in this country. My heart bleeds each time I see a well-intentioned newspaper clip soliciting N8 million for one child or other to travel abroad for conditions we can treat eminently in this country. I can boldly say that the total amount of money spent to treat our seven cases in LUTH cannot treat two patients sent abroad. So if we do the maths, home is still the best! Throwing away our scarce resources on foreign trips is not the way to go. When we treat patients abroad, no learning / training experience accrues to our people. You only need to ask from our present set of trainee surgeons to know how they feel assisting and scrubbing in on cases they would only have been allowed to watch abroad at expensive costs.”
On the next steps, the paediatric surgeon said: “These new rounds of surgeries have started to convince patients that it can be done here, by our own people and more conveniently too. Thus, patients are already trickling in. Doctors are referring them back to us, rather than to Asian destinations. On our part, we hope to perform 100 new open-heart surgeries in the next one-year and totally indigenize these procedures. Through it, at least 10% of all proceeds shall be dedicated to providing this surgical opportunity for indigent patients once we break even. It is a challenge to all corporate bodies and wealthy individuals to support this venture and put a smile on the faces of many Nigerian children and adults who otherwise may face grave risks form treatable conditions.”
Bode commended the Federal Government of Nigeria for believing in LUTH. He said the Minister of Health, Prof Isaac Adewole, has given unflinching support to the programme and has promised to back LUTH’s quest for sustenance of this laudable project. “Our Independent Power Project only awaits a bank guarantee from the appropriate quarters to come on stream. We thank the CBN and the Accountant General of the Federation for their efforts to secure this for us from the Presidency,” he said.
Bode said Messrs General Electric (GE) played a foremost role in placing a ventilator in LUTH’s ICU free of charge towards this project. “This is the way industries should support noble endeavors.”
He said the National Health Insurance Scheme (NHIS) closely worked with LUTH and sponsored one of the patients to signify a buy-in into this project.
The CMD said the LUTH Cardiac Project Team ably led by the Chairman, Prof Jayne Ajuluchukwu, and Coordinator, Dr. Gbenga Olusoji, has done a fantastic work in team building and project execution. “The Hospital Management is proud of each member of this gorgeous team whose slogan is ‘Whatever it takes, we will give it!’”
Bode said the ‘Team Benedict’ is named after the team leader, Dr. Raj Benedict, from India. “They are missionaries in its truest sense. They teach, they heal and spread the gospel of self-sufficiency in human capacity in open-heart surgery. We are grateful for their coming over to assist in training and caring for our home team.”
