From Ogbonnaya Ndukwe, Aba
The Kanu Heart Foundation (KHF) has said that it assisted over 663 patients, mostly children, by sponsoring their open-heart surgeries in foreign hospitals, in its 23 years of existence.
Since inception, the foundation had been flying patients to countries like Britain, Israel and India, for treatment, but it gladly announced that efforts were now in place to successfully carry out the surgeries in Abuja and Lagos, Nigeria, to cut costs and accommodate more patients.
Chairman of the Foundation, Kanu Nwankwo, disclosed this during the 4km “Elephant Walk” organized by his foundation to mark this year’s World Heart Day, in Aba, Abia State on September 29: “Thanks to God that we are in partnership with Nizamiye Hospital in Abuja, because they are going to help us in different ways, including reducing the cost of flying children abroad, accommodating them and doing surgeries on them.”
The ex-Super Eagles captain and current Chairman of Enyimba Football Club of Aba, said the World Heart Day was of “great importance to the Kanu Nwankwo Heart Foundation, hence it celebrates the event in Nigeria.
“We have done it in Lagos, Abuja, Enugu and this year, it is in Aba, Abia State. But this one, is so special that we gave it a name, “the Elephant Walk” and it is to celebrate the heart.
“The Elephant Walk, is meant to create awareness and to educate the people and make them understand the difference between symptoms of heart-related problems and malaria because when we are sick in this part of the world, the first thing we do is to buy malaria drugs.
“We chose to educate them on the symptoms of heart-related problems and how to prevent them or take care of them before they arise or get worse.”
He said the walk in Aba was to let the people know that the heart is a very important organ of the body and when it shuts down, a person dies hence the need to care for it.
He counselled Nigerians to embark on routine health checks, ensure they understand and take adequate care of their hearts, to avoid developing heart problems.
He lamented that over 100 children across the country were on a waiting list for heart surgery adding that the number had been increasing geometrically.
He called on well-meaning Nigerians to partner the foundation to help save more children.
He further disclosed that the foundation was planning to build hospitals in Southern Nigeria, to increase its capacity to save more lives of heart patients.