From David Onwuchekwa, Nnewi
The 2023 medical mission of Sir Emeka Okwuosa Foundation (SEOF) has kicked off at the Dame Irene Okwuosa Memorial Hospital (DIOMH), Oraifite, Ekwusigo LGA, Anambra State.
The mission which is the sixth to be held since 2021 and the third involving open heart surgeries, first done in May 2022, when DIOMH adjudged to be a world class cardiology facility and flagship project of SEOF, was opened.
This year’s mission which began on May 14 will end on May 26, and is featuring highly skilled medical experts in cardiology, nephrology, and critical care from VOOM Foundation (VOOM), based in College Station, Texas, USA, supporting the necessary interventions.
Sunday Sun learnt that at least 18 people would benefit from the foundation’s open-heart surgeries this time around. A total of 33 adults and children have benefited from the two previous open-heart surgeries sponsored by SEOF and VOOM Foundation, which were performed at DIOMH.
DIOMH was said to have hit a healthcare milestone in Africa when it performed three open-heart surgeries in a day and a total of 25 open-heart surgeries in less than two weeks during the May 2022 session.
It was further learnt that 23 of the surgeries were performed at no cost to beneficiaries while the remaining 10 were highly subsidised, unlike the high cost charged for the same surgeries by Nigerian hospitals.
The total bill borne by SEOF for the 33 open-heart surgeries in 2022 was in excess of N300 million, the foundation said.
As part of the ongoing mission, the foundation will hold a community health outreach on Wednesday, May 24, 2023, from 9am to 3pm. The fair will provide free treatment for diabetes, arthritis, malaria, hypertension, chronic pain, typhoid, and eye care. Free drugs would also be dispensed to the beneficiaries just as clinical examinations would be done free.
Nigeria’s healthcare industry also recorded a big boost in March 2023 following the distribution of critical health intervention drugs worth N48m to medical facilities across the six geo-political zones in the country by SEOF.