Eden Smiles Again after Successful Open Heart Surgery

Eden being carried by the father in a photo session with some members of the medical team.

While Nigeria’s healthcare system is often described by many citizens as gloomy and discouraging, this notion does not seem true as many tertiary hospitals in the country are making giant strides in areas of clinical achievements. The Obafemi Awolowo University Teaching Hospitals Complex, Ile-Ife is no doubt a leading example of a humble champion.

Among the many achievements of the hospital in recent time is her successes in open heart surgeries by a one hundred percent indigenous team.

Heart diseases, both acquired and congenital, which previously were considered uncommon in Nigeria, is on the rise. The desire to reduce the contribution of cardiac diseases to our low life expectancy in Nigeria has therefore agitated the thoughts and plans of a highly revered institution like the Obafemi Awolowo University Teaching Hospitals Complex (OAUTHC).

In most cases (as evident in national dailies) once a patient is diagnosed of severe health challenges, attempts to fly such patient abroad becomes the next thought and move. To this, current conservative estimates indicate that Nigerians spend between N250 Billion and N1 trillion annually on health tourism to Europe, the Middle-East and Asia, especially India, among which are the treatments and surgeries for heart diseases.

The narrative and faith exhibited by the Oluranti family in ensuring that their son, Eden undergo an open heart surgery in a Nigerian hospital (when earlier recommendations had referred him to foreign hospitals), is exceptional and eventually profitable.

Eden, a nineteen months old baby is a twin, whose twin sister made excellent progress and quick physical development since birth, in comparison to Eden who was obviously experiencing stunted growth and delayed development. According to the father, Mr. Joshua Oluranti, Eden’s slow growth was initially ignored since the babies were not of the same sex, until he started adding up other signs which agitated their concerns. Eden began to experience difficulty in sucking on the mother’s breast, constant loss of breath and body not firming up.

After several visits to hospitals, he was diagnosed of atrial septal defect (hole in the heart), thus requiring surgery. It was recommended that Eden be flown abroad and plan was underway before the Oluranti’s learnt of the accomplishments of OAUTHC in open heart surgeries. The family then commenced enquires about OAUTHC while the abroad plan was put on hold. The family was stunned at the rate of testimonies they got and decided to make a good gamble.

Eventually, the venture turned out to be most profitable in terms of logistics, finance and the surgical outcome. Eden’s parents were so overjoyed not just for the successful surgery but for the exceptionally quick recovery. The father observed that the immediate signs of recovery are clear indications of the hospital’s efficacious procedure.

It is on record that between 2017 till date, OAUTHC has performed not less than 50 successful open heart surgeries ranging from; closure of atrial septal defects, closure of ventricular septal defects, closure of atrial septal and ventricular septal defects, total correction of tetralogy of fallot, mitral valve replacement, mitral valve repair, atrial septation and repair of truncus arteriosus.

The institution has the following training programmes for the production of specialized health manpower.

• Clinical training (in collaboration with OAU under-Graduate Medical Training)
• School of Health Records and Bio-Statistic (School of Heath Information Management)
• School of Nursing
• School of Midwifery.
• Community Health Officers Training Programme
• Residency Training Programme (Postgraduate Medical Training)
• School of Peri-Operative Nursing
• Plaster Technique Training School.
• Dark Room Technician Programme.