The Chief Medical Director of the Obafemi Awolowo University Teaching Hospitals Complex (OAUTHC), Professor John Okeniyi, has called for increased investment in paediatric cardiac care and the development of a comprehensive national strategy to tackle heart diseases among Nigerian children.
Professor Okeniyi made the appeal while delivering the 424th Inaugural Lecture of the Obafemi Awolowo University (OAU), Ile-Ife, titled “State of the Heart: Echoes from Paediatrics, Pulsations and Purpose.”
The renowned paediatric cardiologist said his lifelong dedication to children’s heart health was shaped by personal experience, having been born with a congenital heart condition and later raising three children who were born prematurely.
He lamented that many Nigerian children continue to lose their lives to preventable and treatable heart conditions due to inadequate access to specialised healthcare and the inability of many families to afford treatment abroad.
Highlighting his contributions to the field, Professor Okeniyi said his research over the past two decades has centred on understanding the pattern of congenital and acquired heart diseases in Nigeria while building local capacity for diagnosis, treatment and long-term care.
He recalled that paediatric cardiology services were virtually non-existent at OAU when he joined the institution as a young lecturer, noting that he personally invested in procuring essential equipment and laying the foundation for the specialty.
According to him, OAUTHC has since evolved into one of Nigeria’s foremost paediatric cardiac centres, successfully performing more than 400 heart surgeries on children with a high success rate, using predominantly indigenous medical personnel.
He added that the centre has also played a major role in capacity building by training numerous healthcare professionals, including nurses and over 3,000 doctors across the country.
Professor Okeniyi stressed the importance of stronger collaboration among healthcare professionals, urging stakeholders to place patient welfare above financial considerations.
He further argued that expanding and strengthening local cardiac services would significantly reduce medical tourism, curb the migration of skilled healthcare workers and improve patient outcomes and satisfaction.
Addressing concerns over the cost of heart surgeries, he maintained that cardiac procedures at OAUTHC remain among the most affordable anywhere in the world.
The OAUTHC Chief Medical Director also unveiled his vision of transforming the institution into Nigeria’s leading centre of excellence for cardiovascular medicine and cardiac surgery, capable of meeting the country’s growing healthcare needs.
