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A total of 29 children received free open heart surgeries as part of a medical mission in Oraifite, Ekwusigo Local Government Area of Anambra State. This initiative provided medical care to approximately 1,000 patients with various health conditions, facilitated by 82 foreign doctors from the United States, Sweden, and Canada.
Organized by the VOOM Foundation and the Sir Emeka Okwuosa Foundation, the mission offered free cardiovascular assessments, medical care, and medicated eyeglasses for those suffering from vision problems on Tuesday. Additionally, walkers were distributed to individuals with mobility challenges, along with special gift packs for the local community.
Chidinma Okoye, Executive Director of the Sir Emeka Okwuosa Foundation, shared that alongside the 29 successful surgeries for children, over 15 adults received subsidized treatment for similar procedures, with some unable to afford even the reduced costs being treated free of charge.
During the mission, interventional cardiologists also performed catheterizations on 10 children. The foundation collaborated with Immaculate Heart Eye Clinic in Nkpor to provide care for various eye-related issues.
Okoye highlighted that since the Dame Irene Okwuosa Memorial Hospital opened two years ago, a total of 120 successful open-heart surgeries have been conducted. She stated, “In this September/October mission of the VOOM Foundation, we successfully performed free open heart surgeries on 29 children while over 15 adults received subsidized costs for their operations. Some adults who couldn’t pay the subsidized fees were treated without charge by these international medical volunteers.”
Following the completion of the medical mission, Shawn Pulliam, Executive Director of VOOM Foundation USA, commended the dedication of the 82 volunteer doctors. Rachael Crandall, Coordinator of VOOM Foundation Medical Missions, described the event as a significant achievement for the hospital and urged for more support from both government and private organizations.
