UPTH provides free cardiac procedures to 22 patients

The University of Port Harcourt Teaching Hospital (UPTH) has provided free cardiac procedures to 22 patients, valued at over N10 million for each patient.

The initiative, which took place in January 2025, was made possible through a collaborative effort between UPTH and international partners, including the University of Michigan and the Cardiovascular Forum.

While speaking during a press interview after the first ground for the year held in the hospital, the Chairman Medical Advisory Committee(CMAC) Professor Datonye Alasia, explained that the international experts were on a mission to bring access to super-
specialized cardiac services to patients who cannot afford them.

Alasia, who noted that the experts were not only in Nigeria to offer service, but were to train specialists, added that the procedures performed during the mission included implantable device implantation and cardiac resynchronization therapy, which typically cost between $20,000 to over $100,000.

He said: “The mission also provided training opportunities for medical staff at UPTH, enhancing their skills and expertise in cardiac care.

“Most patients in Nigeria pay out of pocket for medical services, and many cannot afford the high costs of cardiac procedures.

“We want to increase the number of people who are skilled in cardiac care, so we can expand access to these services to people within Rivers State and beyond.”

Meanwhile, the team, led by Dr. Neil Grubb, a Cardiac Electro-Physiologist, and Jagdeep Singh, a Cardiologist and Cardiac Device Implanter, conducted a one-week training for cardiologists and physiotherapists on modern techniques in treating heart ailments at the University of Port Harcourt Teaching Hospital (UPTH).

The training, which was organized by the Cardiovascular Foundation in the UK, focused on pacemaker implantation, Cardiac Resynchronization Therapy, and other advanced techniques.

Speaking to journalists, Dr. Grubb explained that the mission was aimed at teaching Nigerian doctors and nurses cardiac techniques, rather than just treating patients.

He noted that many patients in Nigeria die from treatable ailments due to lack of access to care and the poor healthcare system.

According to him, “The main aim of our mission is not to treat patients, although we love to treat patients, and the patients we treated this week undoubtedly benefited from the treatment they received. But the main thing is that we want to leave a lasting legacy in Nigeria, which means that we are spending as much time teaching as we are spending in actually doing the procedure itself.

“The team hopes to train a generation of physiologists and cardiologists in Nigeria, with plans to return to the country three to four times a year to provide further training and support.”

He also highlighted the challenges facing Nigeria’s healthcare system, stating that “here in Nigeria, you do not currently have a well-developed healthcare system as ideally, you should have.”