Open Heart Surgeries: HfH to Treat 150 Nigerian Children Yearly

… Reduces cost to N2.5 million per child

Towards enabling a better lease of life for 150 Nigerian children with congenital heart surgeries, the Hospital for Humanity, HfH, A US and Nigeria registered non-profit organization, is seeking funds to conduct open-heart surgeries for them.

This was as the organization revealed no less than 85,000 children are born yearly with congenital heart defects in Nigeria with less than 0.001 percent, representing 100 children, accessing the needed surgery.

The organization disclosed this when it hosted its second fundraising Gala held on Children’s Day in Lagos with the theme: ‘Saving Little Hearts’.

The Founder and CEO of the organization, Dr. Segun Ajayi, while appreciating the invaluable support of the organization's partners, sponsors, donors, volunteers and staff, said: “that through innovation cost saving measures, and the team of experts who volunteer to perform these surgeries at no cost, HfH has been able to reduce the cost of surgery from $112,000 per child as obtainable in the US to $5,500 N2.5 million.

HfH is also building the capacity of local Nigerian hospitals in the process, one surgical procedure at a time. Over 98 percent of the children diagnosed with surgically amenable chronic heart disease in Nigeria cannot afford the life saving interventions. As such, these patients die early or live severely impeded lives. HfH has a revolving list of over 1,000 patients from all over Nigeria. These children need these surgeries urgently and cannot afford to pay for treatment,” Ajayi stated.“ In her welcome address, Founder, Linking Hands Foundation and Chairperson, Hospitals for Humanity Advisory Board, Mrs. Efe Farinre, noted that the work HfH is doing gives a new lease on life to children and renewed hope to families.

She added that through the support and sponsorship of these surgeries for children, “We are winning together as health, Nigeria, Africa and the world wins.

Also, calling on well meaning Nigerians, corporate bodies and agencies to donate, the Executive Director, HfH, Mrs Myna Shegog said: “We want to significantly decrease healthcare barriers and create improved access to quality health care services through clinical medicine, training programmes for local medical professionals, research, advocacy and development.”

“Since 2014, HfH has collaborated with Nigerian hospitals to locally provide open heart corrective surgeries to children born with congenital cardiac defects, screened over 1500 children for congenital heart defects, conducted over 130 open heart surgeries and cardiac catheterization with a 96 percent success rate at care and management levels comparable with any first class institution in the world.”

Culled from Vanguard


Vice President Yemi Osinbajo Advocates More Empathy for Vulnerable Children in Nigeria

The Vice President of Nigeria, Prof. Yemi Osinbajo, has harped on the need for government, development partners, and the private sector to be more empathetic to the plight of vulnerable children.

He made this call during his speech at the first edition of the Saving Little Hearts Gala of Hospitals for Humanity (HfH) held in Abuja on May 27, 2022.

In his address where he was represented by the Chief Physician, Office of the Vice President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, Dr Nicholas Audifferen, he commended the giant stride Hospitals for Humanity had made in countries like Haiti, Philipines, Senegal and Nigeria in the areas of pediatric cardiothoracic interventions.

He went further to thank the Founder of Hospitals for Humanity, Dr Segun Ajayi and the entire volunteers and staff for the gift of their time and expertise in saving little hearts selflessly.

“We thank you for the gift of your time, we thank you for the gift of your expertise and we also congratulate you on all the effort to build your cardiac hospital and the laudable efforts of giving free treatment to anyone that goes there… It’s not easy, we know. I applaud you and your team on all the achievements and may God bless you for all the lives you have saved, changed or made better.” He said.

In his remarks, the Convener and Founder, Hospitals for Humanity, Dr Segun Ajayi commended the Vice President’s strong support for humanitarian activities and all the dignitaries present.

Dr Ajayi shared the story of how at the age of 19, he visited Nigeria for summer holidays but had a stomach upset from drinking the local pipe borne water which made him to fall ill. On his admission to one of the best hospitals in Nigeria, according to him, “it unfortunately could not be compared to the worst hospital in the United States.” That was the trigger that led him to start the Hospitals for Humanity towards changing the narrative and helping to develop the health sector in Nigeria.

“Nigeria has a better story to tell. Our Doctors have a better story to share, and it is our vision to do so by being a conduit that would push Nigeria forward in the Pediatric Cardiology sector,” he said.

“Since 2014, we have carried out over 100 open-heart surgeries on children in Nigeria and our goal is to continue that. In the next 2 months, we would be opening the first-ever open heart cardiac center in Nigeria free to all African children,” he added.

Dr Segun Ajayi also called for support from the guests and the general public to support in fighting against congenital heart diseases by providing life-saving surgeries for children.

According to him, “We are working towards supporting 150 children out of the 2000 on our waiting list. On an average, 1 of them dies per week and we want to stop that,” he said.

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Volunteers Needed for Hurricane Dorian Relief Efforts

In reponse to Hurricane Dorian, we are actively recruiting Emergency Medical Professionals (Trauma Surgeons, ER Physicians, Pediatricians Anesthesiologists,  CRNA’S, NP’s, PA’S, RN’s, Respiratory Therapists, OR/XRAY/CT/MRI Techs, EMT’S) interested in volunteering please fill the form below.