UPTH HOUSES BEST CARDIOLOGISTS IN WEST AFRICA

Prof. Shehu further concluded that there were no major challenges noticed during the tour, but suggested some areas Management should intervene for standard practice sake. This include Mask for Oxygen Concentrator, separate Wards for adolescents, a need for creation of a five member restrain team for patients with tendency to be aggressive and a recreation park for patients (especially patients under rehabilitation after treatment for drug abuse).

In his response, Prof Onontai appreciated the team for the visit, noting that it is designed to help UPTH improve on training and service delivery. He maintained that their recommendations are apt and promised that Management would address them in good time.

According to Dr. Akpa there is need for stakeholder engagement and public enlightenment in the prevention of cardiovascular diseases, which in turn will help educate on the need for lifestyle modifications to help mitigate the effect of these diseases.

Worried by the financial demands associated with accessing treatment for cardio related issues, Dr. Akpa is advocating that the National Health Insurance Scheme (NHIS) coverage should be comprehensive in the treatment of cardio conditions. 

Also speaking on the landmark achievement of the cardiovascular unit of University of Port Harcourt Teaching Hospital, Akpa noted that there are specialized clinics that have been introduced to look at the peculiarity of each case. These specialized clinic are; Heart Failure Clinic on Friday and Rhythmic/Thrombosis clinic on Fridays. “These are very specialized conditions. Before now, people tend to run abroad for this treatment. We run these clinics to offer these specialized services to the public”.

It is noteworthy that the Cardiovascular Unit of the University of Port Harcourt Teaching Hospital now has intervention measures, like the insertion of pacemaker machine amongst others. 

UPTH welcomes all to the hospital to access healthcare in its best, from qualified practitioners.