Medshare Donates Two Hi-Tech Heart, Lung Machines To UPTH

A non-governmental organisation (NGO) based in the United States of America, the management of Medshare International, has donated two hi-tech heart and lung machines to the University of Port Harcourt Teaching Hospital (UPTH) to kick-start heart and lung surgeries.
Medshare International in partnership with the management of Coca Cola Nigeria also donated two 40 feet container loads of medical equipment focused on neo-natal and maternal equipment to the hospital.
The partners estimated the value of the medical equipment to be over $1million intervention.
Speaking at the launch of the Safe Birth Initiative (SBI) in UPTH at the weekend, Director, Public Affairs, Communication and Sustainability, Onyenelukwe Nwamaka, said the medical equipment were funded by Coca Cola Nigeria, and donated by its partner, Medshare international to UPTH.
Nwamaka said the Safe Birth Initiative was a Coca Cola Nigeria Initiative launched in 2018 in Nigeria to strengthen the healthcare system across the country.
She said UPTH was amongst the eight hospitals that the programmehas been launched in Nigeria.
Nwamaka noted that the aims of SBI launching in hospitals was to save the lives of the babies and their mothers during child delivery.
The public affairs manager insisted that six more hospitals would soon be visited by the company for same launching.
She listed the next hospitals the SBI would launch as Lagos Teaching Hospital, Bauchi Teaching Hospital and others.
Nwamaka regretted that the negative impact of COVID-19 pandemic affected the launching in the chosen hospitals across the country.
On the medical equipment, Nwamaka said Medshare was training Biomedical engineers and technicians from UPTH to repair and install the surgery machines.
“Medshare is transferring the skills to Biomedical engineers and technicians to update them on the repairs and installations of the equipment”.
She further said, during their NEEDS assessment, Coca Cola discovered that so many medical equipment in Nigerian hospitals were obsolete and out of use.
She insisted that Medshare decided to repair the machines and put them to use again in the hospitals to save the lives of babies and their mothers.
“So, the Medshare is repairing, training Bio medical engineers and technicians and recycling the obsolete equipment in these hospitals as to put them to use again “, Nwamaka said.
Speaking at the launch, Chief Medical Director, UPTH, Prof Henry Ugboma, thanked the Federal Ministry of Health and the Office of Senior Special Assistant to Mr President on Sustainable Development Goals (SGDs) for ensuring that UPTH was one of the beneficiaries of the programme initiated by Coca Cola with Medshare International.
Ugboma said it gladdened his hearts that SBI was funded to support the fight against high maternal and new-born mortalities in Nigeria.
The CMD said the choice of UPTH was one of the best decisions taken by government to champion the SBI programmes.
He also expressed happiness that Bio medical engineers and technicians from the hospital were being trained by Medshare to handle repairs and installation of the hi-tech equipment.
The professor noted that over 1,200 pregnant mothers visit the Ante-Natal Clinic monthly, but only about 150 deliverieswere recorded each month.
He further said that UPTH houses an inborn Special Baby Care Unit (SCBU) of 21-bed space, seven incubators and an out-born SCBU of 10 cots and six incubators providing the needed care for babies.
UPTH, Ugboma said, would continue to uphold the vision of the hospital as a first-rate, world-class hospital as it serves humanity.
Certificates were presented to the 55 trained Bio medical engineers and technicians from UPTH by the Director, Medshare International, Ebel Armstrong.

By: Chinedu Wosu