Lagos - 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.
– CAJ News