Uni. Benin Teaching Hospital Conducts First Open Heart Surgery

The Chief Medical Director (CMD) of University of Benin Teaching Hospital (UBTH), Prof. Darlington Obaseki, said the hospital conducted its first open heart surgery in January 2023.

Obaseki said this on Tuesday in Benin at the 50 percent subsidised specialised surgeries’ inauguration as part of activities for the 50th anniversary of the hospital holding in May.

The CMD said the medical bill of one of the three patients for the open heart surgery was subsided by the Deputy Governor of Edo State, Mr Phillip Shaibu. He commended the deputy governor for being a pillar of support to UBTH and for also supporting the 50 percent subsidised specialised surgeries.

Obaseki said the 50 percent subsidy on speculated procedures such as Endoscopic and Laparoscopic surgeries, Colonoscopy, Optical Coherence Tomography (OCT) among others would be done till the end of February.

The CMD said that although Nigeria could take care of its citizen’s health needs, medical tourism situation was responsible for citizen’s inability to place value on what it had.

According to him, the country is losing so much money to medical tourism when there are qualified medical personnel in Nigeria.

He said that Nigerians must learn to contribute cheerfully to the health sector, adding that a true philanthropist is the one who contribute to the health needs of his people.

Also speaking, the deputy governor, Shaibu commended the CMD for breaking new grounds in the health sector and for making the hospital a centre of excellence. He said that the state government had always leveraged on the facilities, expertise of the personnel and technological advancements of the hospital to drive health reform in the state. Shaibu also called on Nigerians to show love by contributing their quota to the development of the health sector.

Mr. Lucky Adubi, one of the patients, who benefited from the subsidised specialised surgeries, commended the hospital for making him to see the light at the end of the tunnel. He sought for sustainability of the subsidised surgeries so as to give succour to the poor.