Director of Healthy Heart Foundation, Uzoma Dozie has asserted that the foundation is seeking support to bring specialist doctors into Nigeria to perform cardiac procedures and train Nigerian doctors and nurses as part of efforts to expand access to quality heart care.
Speaking during an interview with ARISE NEWS on Tuesday, Dozie said the initiative would allow foreign specialists to work alongside Nigerian medical professionals while transferring skills and knowledge, reducing the need for patients to travel abroad for treatment.
“It is also asking people to even fund or support doctors to come in, especially in-house for over like a year, so that they can not only participate in the procedure, but also help train and skill Nigerians.”
Dozie said the foundation’s proposed ₦10 billion fundraising campaign is not focused solely on providing financial assistance for patients. “So we also know that what we’re trying to raise 10 billion Naira is also not just to treat people, but as Dr. Johnson said, create awareness, educate people. And that’s the multiplier effect.”
He said greater emphasis on prevention and early intervention could help Nigerians avoid expensive procedures that become necessary when heart conditions are detected late. “And so instead of getting to the stage where you’re doing a 25 million Naira operation, you’re now spending much less to look to take high blood pressure medicine. So it’s actually from an economic standpoint, what we’re trying to do is also impact the economics in Nigeria.”
Dozie said developing local expertise would also help reduce dependence on medical treatment abroad by building the capacity of Nigerian professionals to handle complex procedures.
“So instead of people flying out, you can actually now train people because part of this 10 billion is to train doctors from outside Nigeria to do these surgeries, create awareness, but also transfer skills to doctors and nurses in Nigeria.”
He said the foundation had already raised about ₦3 billion towards its work, with contributions coming from individuals as well as corporate organisations. “That’s a great question, because, I mean, the Healthy Health Foundation up to date has raised about 3 billion Naira, not just from individuals. We’ve been fortunate to have notable corporate organisations that have actually committed to donate over the open-ended period of time.”
According to Dozie, the foundation is also seeking support beyond direct cash donations. “So the donation is not just cash. It is also asking people to even fund or support doctors to come in, especially in-house for over like a year, so that they can not only participate in the procedure, but also help train and skill Nigerians.”
He said individuals and organisations could also contribute through access to facilities. “So we’re not asking for just cash, but non-cash or even access or facilities or even financing.”
Dozie said the foundation also recognises that medical care requires awareness. “One thing that I know, so like Dr. Johnson is here and can talk about medicine for the next two hours and give you exciting stories, but medicine is a business. And so you need marketing, you need awareness, you need education, right?”
He said the foundation hopes to use the ₦10 billion target as a starting point for mobilising substantially greater resources for cardiac care.
“how can we also use that 10 billion as a seed to scale and get 100 billion worth of actual resources, whether it’s financial or non-financial.”
Dozie described the fundraising target as a launchpad that could attract more specialists to Nigeria and help address the loss of medical professionals to opportunities abroad. “It is a launchpad, because I think once we start that, because in the end, we can actually, what it will do, it will now bring in more doctors into Nigeria.”
He said increasing the number of specialists and treatment centres in the country could help reduce the effects of brain drain and improve access to cardiac services. “So that brain drain, right, begins to reduce and then people begin to be, there’ll be more centres.”
Dozie stressed that the initiative is intended to benefit the wider Nigerian healthcare system rather than a single private institution. “A lot of additional hospitals that are going to benefit, and it’s to actually benefit, because a lot of the surgeries are actually done in some of these teaching hospitals.”
He said the foundation’s objective therefore extends beyond First Cardiology Consultants and is focused on saving lives across the country. “So it’s not an FCC thing, it’s actually a Nigeria thing, It’s actually trying to save lives.”
Dozie also said successful interventions could create a cycle in which people who benefit from improved healthcare become willing to support others. “Because there’s a lot of good, when you save lives, people want to donate back, but if you don’t have that infrastructure.”
Erizia Rubyjeana
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