UITH, Indians hospital perform open heart surgeries of three kids Authorities of the University of Ilorin UITH in collaboration with Appollo Children Hospital, Chennai, India have successfully carried out open heart surgeries on three kids.

This brings the number of open heart surgeries performed by the hospital, as it successfully carried out its first open heart surgeries on two kids about nine months ago.

Chief Medical Director of UITH CMD), Prof Abdulwaheed Olatinwo told reporters yesterday in Ilorin, the Kwara state capital, adding that about one million children in Nigeria have problems with their hearts.

The team of the Appollo Children Hospital was led by Head Pediatrics and Cardiology, Dr. Neville Solomon

Said Prof Olatinwo: "UITH's partnership with Appollo Children Hospital, Chennai, India started about twelve months ago. Don't forget that quite a number of children about one million of children have problem with the hearts. These are either congenital or acquired.

"Most time correction is not carried out on them they might die before the age of maturity. As part of our mandate of service, training and research, the hospital had to find a way of reversing medical tourism that is what necessitated our venturing into this area.

"About nine months ago, we carried out open heart surgery on two patients with congenital hearts. And we want to mention to you that the patients are doing very well. Actually, the two patients visited us as a form of follow-up.

"The second current mission entailed operating of three Nigerian children, all boys between ages four and nine. All the children are doing very well. They are off ventilators- that is they are doing their things on their own and we believe in the next few days they will be discharged to their various homes.

"As part of the collaboration three of our doctors are currently in Chennai, India undergoing training on cardiac catheterization. Hopefully in the next three weeks another three nurses and laboratory scientists will be joining them. The visit of UITH is to be the best centre in Africa before the year 2018. Today we are laying the foundation ceremony of cardiac catheterization centre.

"Cardiac cathererisation laboratory (CATHLAB) is a minimum invasive procedure that involves the use of machines and other images toward ensuring diagnosis and treatment of some heart conditions. The conditions are babies that have congenital defects like holes; problems with the vessels supplying blood to the heart and irregular heartbeats. In the next six months we should be able to complete and equip this building so that by time our staff undergoing training in India come they will come to kick-start the process.

""We believe that with this in place that many heart problems in Nigeria, West Africa and entire Africa can come to Nigeria for their treatment.

"I want to emphasis that government cannot do this alone; we are all aware about the current economic crisis in the globe. Therefore I urge well-meaning philanthropists to come to our assistance, because a single heart surgery will cost between N700,000 and N1.5 million. Unfortunately the bulk of our patients cannot afford this. The cost of operation for the five successful patients was highly subsidized."