LAGOS CONCLUDES FREE OPEN HEART SURGERY FOR INDIGENT PATIENTS

The Lagos State Government, in collaboration with an American Non-Governmental Organisation – Cardiostart International, has concluded another free Open Heart Surgery Mission for some indigent patients at the Lagos State University Teaching Hospital (LASUTH), Ikeja.

 

Cardiostart International, working with surgeons and healthcare professionals of the Cardiothoracic Surgery unit in LASUTH, successfully carried out the free open heart surgery on indigent patients with various heart conditions.

 

Speaking at a Press Conference on the recent medical mission by Cardiostart International, the Chief Medical Director, LASUTH, Professor Adewale Oke disclosed that the open heart surgery was one of several other surgical interventions by the State government for indigent patients who ordinarily cannot afford to foot the medical expenses for accessing treatment of the congenital heart disease.

 

While attesting to the fact that the cost of accessing surgery for heart-related diseases is in millions of naira, the CMD noted that the State Government and the foreign partners should be commended for embarking on this very expensive mission at no cost to the beneficiaries.

 

The Senior Special Assistant to the Governor on Health, Dr. Sola Pitan said the aim of this planned successive missions was to bring succour to people with congenital heart disease, as well as reduce the cost of medical tourism while building the capacity of specialists in the hospital.

 

Dr. Sola Pitan reiterated that the medical missions, which were made free for the patients, demonstrates Ambode-led administration’s magnanimity and vision to place Lagos State at the forefront of healthcare in Africa.

 

The Cardiostart International team leader, Dr. Emily Farkas commended the Hospital for the warm reception given to the entire team and promised to expand the partnership with LASUTH in other areas of medicine for the benefit of the less-privileged.

 

She stated that the team came with various equipment, supplies, and consumables worth hundreds of thousands of dollars for the benefit of the indigent patients.

 

Recall that some indigent patients had earlier benefitted from the successful free medical mission carried out in May, 2018 and sponsored by the Lagos State Government, in collaboration with VOOM Foundation, another American Non-Governmental Organisation.