The University of Ilorin Teaching Hospital (UITH) carried out successful open heart surgeries (OHS) on three children on Thursday.
The feat was recorded barely seven months after the hospital performed its first OHS on two female children.
Speaking at a press briefing Abdulwaheed Olatinwo, the chief medical director (CMD) of the hospital, explained that a team of cardiologists and anesthesia from Apollo Hospital, Chennai, assisted in the operation.
He added that the three patients, David Adeyemi (5), Thani Sambo (4) and Ibrahim Mohammed (3) were off the ventilator and would be discharged from the hospital in a few days time.
He also laid the foundation of an ultra-modern cardiac catheterization (cathlab), saying the centre when completed, would assist in diagnosing and treating heart related vascular diseases.
Bemoaning high rate of congenital heart conditions among Nigerian children, Olatinwo said the UITH cardiac centre will provide succor.
He said the hospital would continue to send team of doctors, nurses and other health workers to upgrade their trainings ahead of the readiness of the Cardiac Catheterization programme.
“It is our vision to make it the best cardiac centre in the Africa. We want to use it to reverse medical tourism being embarked upon by many Nigerians,” he said.
On reason for the zero mortality recorded on all the five patients who underwent OHS in the hospital, Olatinwo said UITH was careful in its choice of patients, intra operative and post operative care and the partner (Apollo Hospital), with over 20 years experiences on the procedure.
Neville Solomon, head of the delegation from Apollo Hospital, praised the management and staff of UITH for their dedication.
He said the hospital had potentials that would make it go places.
“With the calibre and integrity of the cardiac team we have worked with here, the UITH would perform the surgeries without our own team,” Neville said.
Adeyemi Sanjo and Sambo Yakubu, two parents of the patients, thanked the hospital management.
“We initially wanted to opt out of the surgeries but when the UITH management showed us the facilities on ground we concurred. Today we are grateful to God,” Yakubu said.
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