National Hospital Abuja Showcases Open-Heart Surgery Expertise

In a landmark demonstration of Nigeria’s growing surgical capacity, National Hospital Abuja shared live social-media updates from an open-heart procedure performed on an eight-year-old patient.

The approximately three-hour operation repaired a hole in the child’s heart. Updates from the operating theatre gave the public an educational view of the procedure while protecting the patient’s identity.

The initiative was intended to raise awareness that complex cardiac procedures could be performed successfully within Nigeria. Speaking to CNN at the time, hospital spokesperson Dr Tayo Haastrup explained that many Nigerians requiring such treatment might not realise that specialist care was available locally.

The procedure was the third in a planned series of ten major heart operations at National Hospital Abuja. Nigerian doctors conducted the programme in collaboration with a United States-based charitable organisation.

By sharing the work of its clinical teams, the hospital sought to strengthen public confidence in Nigerian healthcare and highlight the expertise available at National Hospital Abuja.

This story forms part of the hospital’s historical news archive.

Source attribution: Adapted from reporting by Sophie Eastaugh for CNN, updated 12 August 2015.