VOOM Foundation is conducting an open-heart medical mission May16th-June 2nd, 2024, during which we will be conducting approximately 30 adult cases at the Dame Irene Okwuoso Memorial Hospital.
VOOM Foundation believes the local demand approaches 200 cardiac procedures annually, and currently these cases can only be performed when a mission team is on-site. Each VOOM medical mission typically includes a group of up to 20-30 medical volunteers from across the United States. The teams consist of cardiac surgeons, a cardiac interventionalist, a cardiologist, an intensivist, an anesthesiologist, a perfusion team, a respiratory therapist, several ICU nurses and a biomedical engineer. Each medical volunteer is recruited with the intention to provide training and teach best practices to the local medical staff in Nigeria.
Established in 2004, VOOM Foundation is a U.S. based 501(c)(3) non-profit organization with the mission being to provide impartial sustainable healthcare programs dedicated to quality, with particular focus on supporting the underprivileged and underserved in Africa. VOOM’s long-term vision is to raise the standard of healthcare in Nigeria through education and training at healthcare facilities that care for all patients, regardless of their ability to pay. Poor and vulnerable patients in Nigeria suffer low treatment success and a high mortality rate due to geographic and financial barriers beyond their control.
VOOM Foundation makes it a priority to serve indigent patients who cannot afford to fly out of the country for healthcare. According to the World Health Organization, Nigeria ranks 187 of 190 for healthcare and with 50% of the country in poverty this leaves very little hope to those who cannot travel out of the country for surgery. VOOM Foundation has provided missions supporting open-heart surgery cardiac intervention and general surgery. Our focus is on training the local staff with a long-term goal of a sustainable open-heart program.
It is part of the VOOM Foundation’s mission to provide an educational component to every healthcare program in Nigeria. Sustainability is our goal, and together, we saved the lives of those in need. During our two weeks, 17 open-heart surgeries were performed, and one large-scale health fair was held. Over 500 patients were evaluated and provided medication. Our health fair included general welfare checks, eye examinations, and screenings for hypertension, diabetes, and heart disease. Together, we served the general population and raised the quality of care. In 2013, there was not a single facility in Nigeria where you could receive heart surgery. These findings ignited the VOOM Foundation to partner with local hospitals and provide infrastructure, equipment, and supplies to start local programs. We are proud to say that in 2023, VOOM led all of Nigeria's healthcare facilities to perform open-heart procedures. It's an amazing accomplishment, but it just shows how much work needs to be done. From our past mission in May 2024, we hope to continue this trend and continue to make an impact on those in need. Not only were the lives of those needing open-heart surgery were saved, but we were able to aid their entire family. We saw families reunite with the hope of a better future. The work I do is not possible without partners like Doximity, who believe that every human has the right to affordable and accessible healthcare and are willing to aid in the transport of medical professionals. Your investment has helped change the future system by creating sustainable programs in third-world countries.
