HfH To Conduct Open Heart Surgeries For 150 Nigerian Children Annually

In a bid to improve the lives of 150 Nigerian children with congenital heart defects, the Hospitals for Humanity (HfH), a US and Nigeria registered non-profit organisation, is seeking the necessary funds to conduct open-heart surgeries for them.

This was as the organisation revealed no less than 85,000 children are born yearly with congenital heart defects in Nigeria with less than 0.001 percent, representing 100 children, accessing the needed surgery.

The organisation disclosed this when it hosted its second fundraising Gala held on Children’s Day in Lagos with the theme: ‘Saving Little Hearts’.

The Founder and CEO of the organisation, Dr. Segun Ajayi, while appreciating the invaluable support of the organisation’s partners, sponsors, donors, volunteers and staff, said: “that through innovation cost saving measures, and the team of experts who volunteer to perform these surgeries at no cost, HfH has been able to reduce the cost of surgery from $112,000 per child as obtainable in the US to $5,500 N2.5 million.

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“HfH is also building the capacity of local Nigerian hospitals in the process, one surgical procedure at a time. Over 98 percent of the children diagnosed with surgically amenable chronic heart disease in Nigeria cannot afford the life saving interventions. As such, these patients die early or live severely impeded lives. HfH has a revolving list of over 1,000 patients from all over Nigeria. These children need these surgeries urgently and cannot afford to pay for treatment.”

In her welcome address, Founder, Linking Hands Foundation and Chairperson, Hospitals for Humanity Advisory Board, Mrs. Efe Farinre, noted that the work HfH is doing gives a new lease on life to children and renewed hope to families.

She added that through the support and sponsorship of these surgeries for children, “We are winning together as health, Nigeria, Africa and the world wins.

Also, calling on well meaning Nigerians, corporate bodies and agencies to donate, the Executive Director, HfH, Mrs. Myna Shegog said: “We want to significantly decrease healthcare barriers and create improved access to quality health care services through clinical medicine, training programmes for local medical professionals, research, advocacy and development.”

“Since 2014, HfH has collaborated with Nigerian hospitals to locally provide open heart corrective surgeries to children born with congenital cardiac defects, screened over 1500 children for congenital heart defects, conducted over 130 open heart surgeries and cardiac catheterization with a 96 percent success rate at care and management levels comparable with any first class institution in the world.”