SAN FRANCISCO, April 13, (THEWILL) – The management of the University Benin Teaching Hospital (UBTH) has revealed that it has successfully performed over 30 cardiac surgeries in the past five years.
The Chief Medical Director (CMD) of the hospital, Michael Ibadin, who made the disclosure in Benin City, on Wednesday, said the surgeries were without any mortality.
Ibadin also expressed joy with the latest feat of cardiac surgeons in the unit who successfully carried out a heart surgery on an 18-month old girl, Emmanuella Obasogie who was diagnosed with a hole in the heart.
“We offer safely many ranges of cardiac surgeries that patients are unwittingly being sent abroad for. These surgeries include patent ductis arteriosus (one of the ‘hole in heart’) ligation, shunts for cyanotic congenital heart diseases, pericardiostomy and pericardietomy,” he said.
“We are involved in surgeries of the lung, heart, chest wall and blood vessels. We have been rendering services here successfully for years. It is generally assumed that medical doctors and the health team are essentially doing nothing and our patients are increasingly being sent to India and other foreign countries for surgeries that are routinely and safely offered here in UBTH.
“We urge that all patients with heart disease should be first sent to us here in UBTH and this would further aid our development and allow our collaborative efforts to yield good results. For surgeries, which we are unable to offer, we would be able to offer counselling and medical advice and follow up after the procedure.
“We would be able to arrange for the surgeries in partnership with other centres in Nigeria and abroad, and would be able to substantially reduce cost and other logistics for the patients.”
Story by David Oputah
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