Enugu Moves to Domesticate Specialist Care for Cardiothoracic Patients

Emmanuel Ugwu-Nwogo in Enugu


The Enugu State Government has taken steps to provide specialist care within the state’s healthcare system for patients suffering from Cardiothoracic diseases instead of giving them referrals to other states like Lagos and the Federal Capital Territory as well as overseas.

To this end, government has sent five medical personnel for specialised cardiac care training at Babcock University Teaching Hospital, Ilishan-Remo, Ogun State. The beneficiaries comprised Resident Doctors, intensive care unit (ICU) nurses and a medical student.

The training, organised under the Trinitas Cardiac Traineeship Programme at the university and facilitated by the Office of the Special Adviser to the Governor on Health, will expose the fellows to advanced intensive care, high-dependency care, open-heart surgery and cardiothoracic surgery.

At the send-off ceremony for the five fellows in Enugu on Thursday, the Special Adviser to the Governor on Health, Dr. Yomi Jaye, regretted referrals of patients requiring cardiac surgery to Lagos, Abuja and overseas

He noted that such referrals had continued to impose huge financial burdens on families and undermine public confidence in the local healthcare system hence the ongoing efforts to strengthen healthcare delivery and build local capacity for advanced medical services.

Dr. Jaye said Governor Peter Mbah was determined to reverse the trend by ensuring that Enugu developed the capacity to provide quality healthcare services, including highly specialised and complex medical procedures.

“Governor Peter Mbah has been clear that Enugu must be able to care for its own people, including the most complex cases. That is what health sovereignty means in practice. And for us, it is not a slogan. That is why we must continue to build capacity,” he stated.

The Special Adviser on Health explained that unlike medical equipment could be procured and hospital buildings constructed within relatively short periods, developing the human expertise and teamwork required for safe and effective cardiothoracic service demanded sustained investment in people.

“Equipment can be bought in months. Buildings can rise in a year. But the ability to run a cardiothoracic service safely is built in people, and it is built in teams, as a heart operation is never one surgeon’s achievement. It belongs to the anaesthetist, the perfusionist, the theatre nurse, the intensivist and the ICU nurse,” he said.

According to him, the composition of the beneficiaries reflects the administration’s deliberate effort to develop a comprehensive team of medical professionals who would sustain the state’s cardiothoracic care capacity in the years ahead.

Jaye stated that the programme had two distinctive features: providing the fellows with firsthand experience in the use of modern cardiothoracic and critical care equipment and exposing them to the expertise of visiting cardiothoracic specialists from overseas.

“Exposure of this kind shapes a clinician’s standards for life,” he added.

Jaye charged the beneficiaries to maximise the opportunity and transfer the knowledge and skills acquired to other medical personnel in the state.

He expressed appreciation to Enugu Air, Cecilia Oyebola Foundation, Trinitas Healthcare Partners, Babcock University Teaching Hospital and the Enugu State Broadcasting Service, among other partners, for supporting the state’s healthcare capacity-building initiative.

A Resident Doctor and Senior Registrar in the Department of Surgery at the Enugu State University Teaching Hospital, Park Lane, Enugu, Dr. Nnaemeka Ugwuowo, who spoke on behalf of the beneficiaries, expressed gratitude to the state government and its partners for the opportunity.

He assured that the team would make the most of the training and replicate the knowledge and skills acquired to strengthen medical practice and education in Enugu State.

“I want to say that we are not ignorant of the sacrifices and efforts put in place to make this happen. We want to say that we are grateful and, in reciprocity, the skills and knowledge we gain, we will extend to others so that we continue to ramp up medical education for the good people of Enugu State,” he stated.

In his remarks, a renowned gynaecologist and Chief Executive Officer of Enugu International Hospital, Prof. Sam Agwu, commended Governor Mbah for “massive investment” in the state’s health sector.

He disclosed that the Enugu International Hospital, which is expected to be inaugurated soon, would also specialise in cardiothoracic care and attract highly skilled medical professionals from across the world.

Agwu, who said his support for the administration was based on conviction rather than political considerations, described Mbah’s leadership as transformational, particularly in the health sector.

“I thank God for gifting this state the best governor I have seen in my lifetime. I have been out of this country for a very long time. So, I am not political, let it be known.

“I am in Nigeria and Enugu today because I am 100 per cent convinced of the transformational leadership that the governor is bringing to this state, not just in the health sector, but also in every aspect of life in Enugu State and beyond,” he said.

He recalled that during his first interaction with Mbah, the governor had expressed his vision of ensuring that residents of Enugu North Senatorial District would no longer have to travel to Enugu metropolis to access quality medical care.

According to him, that vision informed the establishment of the State University of Medical and Applied Sciences (SUMAS) Teaching Hospital, which is already operational.

“The second stage was to bring advanced care to Enugu and the South-east, and today that vision is standing there as Enugu International Hospital, super-equipped to world-class level, and we are engaging super-duper experts at every level,” he stated.

The Chairman of the Nigeria Medical Association (NMA), Enugu State chapter, Dr. Chima Edeoga, who was at the ceremony, expressed delight at the administration’s efforts to position the state as a centre of excellence in healthcare delivery.

He said the investments being made by the Mbah administration would significantly strengthen the state’s healthcare ecosystem and contribute to the advancement of medical services across the country.

“I believe that by the time he has completed his eight years, the health ecosystem of Nigeria will understand what a governor who is determined to advance healthcare means,” he enthused.

In his remarks, the Commissioner for Health, Prof. George Ugwu, represented by the Director of Public Health and Disease Control, Dr. Uche Okenwa, reaffirmed the administration’s commitment to sustained investment in the health sector.

He said the government’s interventions were aimed at positioning Enugu State as a leading destination for quality and specialised healthcare services in Africa.