Aisha Buhari sponsors open-heart surgeries

First Lady of Nigeria Aisha Muhammadu Buhari has organised a Future Assured Cardiac Mission to intervene in attenuating the rampant cases of heart disease, which have burdened many Nigerians.

The mission, which engaged some of the best cardiac surgeons from Italy, will involve Nigerian surgeons at the Federal Medical Centre, Jabi, Abuja.

Speaking during a welcome reception, Mrs Buhari drew attention to the high rate of heart disease among Nigerians, a condition, she added, was too expensive for the average Nigerian to manage, leading to avoidable morbidity and mortality. 

She expressed confidence that the partnership between the foreign and local surgeons will lead to a transfer of expertise and the saving of many lives.

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Hajiya Aisha, in a statement issued Tuesday by her spokesman, Suleiman Haruna, called on well-to-do Nigerians to provide funds for such and other costly treatments and surgeries for disadvantaged Nigerians.

Chief Medical Director, Federal Medical Centre, Jabi, Prof. Saad Ahmed, expressed happiness over the choice of his hospital for the surgeries, adding that as the best government hospital in the British Commonwealth, they have been recognized for conducting many such surgeries before now. 

He commended the First Lady for providing a state-of-the-art Quantum Medtronic Heart Lung Machine with a diagnostic module, which is required for conducting surgeries of this nature.

 This machine, he said, is the first of its specification in Sub-Saharan Africa. 

He promised the First Lady a successful mission.

Prof. Oppido Guido, leader of the 13-man team, expressed happiness over the opportunity to visit Nigeria and share experiences with professional colleagues and touch the lives of children who are sick. 

He said the First Lady showed magnanimity by sponsoring the surgeries completely and should be commended.

Haruna said the open-heart surgeries are targeted at children and will run for one week from 21st to 28th January 2023. Similar missions will be held at different hospitals across the country.