Surgeon urges more funding for heart surgeries

A Consultant Cardiothoracic surgeon, Dr Bode Falase, has appealed to governments at all levels as well as philanthropists and NGOs to assist in funding heart surgeries to save patients’ lives.

Falase, Head, Cardiothoracic Division at the Lagos State University Teaching Hospital (LASUTH), Ikeja, made the appeal in an interview with the Newsmen on Monday in Lagos.

The heart surgeon, who said that financing remained a challenge impeding some patients from timely heart surgery, noted that a majority of the patients could not afford the surgery.

He said that most patients paid out-of-pocket for treatments, adding that cardiac management was expensive.

The expert said that patients turned to fundraising from family and friends before they could pay for the procedure.

On the cost of some surgeries,  Falase said  the cost of average valve replacement operation at LASUTH is N3.2 million,  while a regular hole in the heart surgery  ranged from N2.5 and N2.7 million.

“In the western world, the government takes the burden of funding to fill the gap through effective health insurance coverage of the citizens.

“For example, in LASUTH, if the government says it can fund 100 cases a year, and we know the money is there, then we are not just assessing patients, but also having surgery.

“If we have 100 surgeries planned for a year, imagine the number of training that goes on for surgeons, nurses, and other cadres involved in the procedure,” he said.

Falase stressed that performing more surgeries would also address the challenge of brain drain, noting that many cardiac professionals were interested in staying in the country.

He, however, said many travelled outside Nigeria to train due to the low number of cardiac surgeries currently performed.

Falase noted that there was need to bridge the huge disparity between the cardiovascular disease burden and the surgical resources available in Nigeria.