Nigerian hospital performs 44 open-heart surgeries
By the AFREEQUE newsroom, based on Punch
Illustrative image · Beendy234Duchess International Hospital, a private facility in Lagos, has performed 44 open-heart surgeries among 2,053 complex surgical procedures since it opened. On its fifth anniversary, its management says the specialist care available in Nigeria more than halves costs for patients and limits travel abroad, Punch reports.
Duchess International Hospital, a private hospital in Lagos, has performed 44 open-heart surgeries since launching its specialised programme in 2023, its management announced during the hospital’s fifth anniversary. The procedures included 20 paediatric operations and 24 on adults, according to its chief operating officer, Dr Olajide Ojo, quoted by Punch.
The hospital has also carried out 2,053 complex surgical procedures since it was established in 2021, about 65% of them major operations, including spinal surgery. It sees around 40,000 outpatients each year and delivers nearly 500 babies, Olajide Ojo said.
Duchess International Hospital works with Lagos State University Teaching Hospital, a public teaching hospital in Lagos State, through the Duchess Waiting List Initiative. The programme aims to speed up access to cardiovascular surgery for patients facing long waiting lists. According to the hospital’s management, using Nigerian specialists from the diaspora helps patients avoid travelling abroad and reduces treatment costs by more than 50%.
The hospital aims to curb medical tourism, which costs Nigerians about $1 billion a year, according to an estimate published in 2022 by the West African Health Sector Unions Network.
