Akwa Ibom Performs Eight Successful Cardiac Pacemaker Implantation in 3 Months
EDET Edet.
The Chief Physician to Governor Udom Emmanuel, Dr. Ignatius Akpabio, has said that the General Hospital, Awa in ONNA Local Government has performed eight successful cardiac pacemaker implantation in a period of 3 Months.
Ignatius made the announcement, Friday, during a thank you parley with medical experts and the Cardiothoracic team at Ibom Icon Hotel in Uruan Local Government.
He mentioned that Governor Emmanuel in his roadmap to the pacemaker implantation approved the training of the Cardiothoracic team ahead of the surgery before procuring digital equipment to drive the process.
“Between the 15th of February – May 18th, 2023, we have carried out eight successful cardiac pacemaker implantation in the General Hospital, Awa since the facility was procured by Gov. Emmanuel’s administration”
“Noticing the Increasing number of patients with near non functional heart and the data of referrals who were normally sent outside the state for treatment, the Governor decided to first equip and prepare the team with the needed skills and knowledge before setting up the facility,“ – Akpabio said.
He explained that by allowing the state trained Cardiothoracic team participate fully through the procedure, there were hands on experience and knowledge transfer to them by the visiting Cardiothoracic experts.
Akpabio described the feat as unprecedented in the history of general hospitals in Nigeria, noting that Emmanuel’s administration has received more accolades for eight years of sterling interventions in the health sector across the state.
He said the thank you dinner was organised to appreciate the team of medical professionals, who has painstakingly contributed to the health sector achievements of the Udom Emmanuel’s administration.
In his goodwill message, the cardiothoracic consultant at LUTH, Dr. Ezekiel Ogunleye, who led the surgery team for the pacemaker implant, said he wants to appreciate Governor Udom Emmanuel and his Chief Physician for the tenacity of making the pacemaker implant a reality in a general hospital in Akwa Ibom State.
“I want to specifically thank His Excellency, Mr. Udom Emmanuel and his Chief Physician, Dr. Ignatius Akpabio for the tenacity of making the pacemaker insertion a reality in a general hospital in Akwa Ibom”
Ogunleye said they started the pacemaker insertion in 1999 and since then they have never done the implant in any general hospital in Nigeria.
“We started the pacemaker insertion in 1999, we have never done the surgery in any general hospital in Nigeria” – he said.
He stated further that when the idea of the implant was nursed to be done in a general hospital, there were conflicting thoughts whether or not the surgery will be successful.
The Cardiothoracic consultant stated that coming into the facility procured by Governor Emmanuel, he was emboldened and assured that the procedure will be successfully carried out because of the state of the art equipment he saw inside there.
He mentioned that he has received commendations on behalf of the government of Akwa Ibom State and the Cardiothoracic team for carrying out the procedure in a general hospital since the success story broke out.
Another surgeon, who has also been partaking in the pacemaker surgery, Prof. Eyo Ekpe, a professor of cardiothoracic surgery, appreciated Governor Emmanuel for putting the facilities on ground to aid in major surgeries in the state like the pacemaker insertion.
Explaining the procedure, Ekpe said that for the implant to be successful, several machines has to be put in place in a theater.
He mentioned that the C-Arm machine is one of the machines that has to be in a theater for such procedure to be carried out and that the machine is not common in even teaching hospitals in the country.
In his remarks, the commissioner for health, Prof. Augustine Umoh, thanked Governor Emmanuel for his investment in the health sector.
He noted that a day like this makes it very nice because you come to realize that the investments in the health sector has not been for nought.
Umoh emphasize that the pacemaker insertion wouldn’t have been possible if the facility was not made available by Governor Udom Emmanuel.
He mentioned that the Governor’s Midas touch in the health sector is dotted across many other facilities in state from the renovations to reequipping of several health institutions.
A former commissioner for health, Dr. Dominic Ukpong, said he lacks the right words to use in appreciating Governor Udom Emmanuel for his achievements in the health sector.
He described the Governor as a competent administrator who has a heart of kindness for his people.
He reminisced that on assumption of office as Governor in 2015, Governor Emmanuel instituted the reforms that birthed renovations and reequipping of general hospitals across the state, which however has led to the feats achieved today.
He noted that these interventions enabled the state to be the best state that properly managed Covid-19 professionally when it broke out in 2020.
He thanked the Governor for putting the health sector in its best form before exiting office.
