A Consultant Cardiothoracic Surgeon, Dr Bode Falase, has called for media collaboration in efforts to create tangible public awareness on the need to improve funding for cardiothoracic surgeries.
Falase, the Head of Cardiothoracic Department, Lagos State University Teaching Hospital (LASUTH), made the call on Friday in Lagos in an interview with News Agency of Nigeria (NAN).
NAN reports that the consultant spoke on the wellbeing of the 11 patients who in June underwent free open heart surgeries that were sponsored by the Lagos State Government at the hospital.
The surgeries were performed by a team of LASUTH doctors and other doctors from Cardiostat, a U.S.-based non-governmental organisation.
NAN also reports that the patients, who had been discharged, only need to visit the hospital for follow-up checkups.
However, Falase said that carrying out free surgeries for a few people was not the most pressing issue, adding that the focus should rather be on the sustainability of the initiative.
He said that open heart surgeries cost between N2.5 million and N9 million in Nigeria, adding that many people could not afford it.
“What then is the main issue? Funding! Resources!
“The cost the surgery varies from N2.5 million in LASUTH to almost N9 million in other places, and that depends on the complexity of the operation and the overheads.
“We’re at the point where the skills are available in different centres but the missing link is the absence of a consistent funding mechanism,” he said.
Falase noted that the current health insurance system could not solve the funding problem because of its “skeletal’’ coverage.
“It doesn’t cover most of these high-end medical procedures,’’ he said.
The consultant noted that there were more positive outcomes in developed countries because of the improved funding mechanisms put in those countries.
“If one has a heart problem right now; he or she would be wondering where to get it fixed.
“Do we go abroad? We can’t afford it. We can stay here but it costs `X’ millions. How do we raise that amount?
Falase urged the media not to only report on the number of surgeries performed or those who had undergone open heart surgeries, saying that they should strive to strive to publicise salient issues relating to improved funding of such surgeries.
“The media should come together to say, ‘how do we help change things?
“If there is more push from the media, they could collectively engage NGOs, governments, individuals and private organisations.
“If the message is out there continuously, then, the authorities will know this is something which the citizens are really interested in,’’ he added.
NAN reports that a cardiothoracic surgery is a surgical procedure that is carried out within the thorax – the chest – which includes the heart, lungs, oesophagus and other organs within the chest.
https://www.africaprimenews.com/2018/07/26/news/nigeria-emergency-policy-will-reduce-morbidity-mortality-health-minister/
