Lagos opens cardiac, renal centre

Lagos State has opened its first ultramodern cardiac and renal centre in Gbagada.

The state said the facility is part of effort  to stop the spate of medical trips abroad as well as build local capacity especially for ailments that could be treated locally but for the absence of expertise and facilities.

It is designed to handle heart and kidney related diseases also offers out-patient services, diagnostic services, ultrasound, CT scan, Echo cardiograph, Stress Electrocardiography, laboratory services, fluoroscopy, ocular investigation for complications from hypertension, diabetes and renal conditions, haemo-dialysis for acute and chronic kidney diseases with 24 dialysis machine.

The facility would also be used for admission for all cardiac conditions that requires hospital stay, critical care in intensive care unit (ICU) and high dependency wards, cardiac cauterization, non invasive cardiology, open heart surgery, renal surgery, nursing and diabetic services, rehabilitation services and corporate wellness programme.

The State Commissioner for Health, Dr Jide Idris, said government had found it appropriate and timely to have a befitting cardiac and renal centre due to the increasing number of patients suffering end-stage renal failure.

He noted that  cardiac and renal diseases constituted a growing health burden globally stressing that there is what is called a triple jeopardy in the health sector especially in Lagos and Nigeria which require efforts of stakeholders in State health system to address.

“We have what we call double jeopardy but now it is triple jeopardy in the sense that we do not only have problems with communicable diseases, we are now having problems with non-communicable diseases, and the third one has to do with mental health. But this project is trying to address the major aspect of the non-communicable disease burden,” Idris said.

He  added also that the lack of a purpose built renal specialist centre, the periodic nature of the cardiac and renal missions which has limited the number of beneficiaries and the need to conserve the financial resources currently being expended in the management of patients with renal and cardiac diseases in foreign countries are key reasons for building the facility.