Duchess International Hospital and the Lagos State University Teaching Hospital (LASUTH) are collaborating in a new joint programme called the “DUCHESS-LASUTH Waiting list initiative”, designed to deliver fast and affordable access to life-saving open-heart surgery in Nigeria. On the 3rd of December 2022, a combined team of cardiothoracic surgeons and theatre staff from the Duchess International Hospital and lasuthikeja, led by Mr Bode Falase, Consultant Cardiothoracic Surgeon, successfully completed a surgical repair of a large hole in the wall (or septum) that divides the two upper chambers of the heart (otherwise known as an Atrial Septal Defect). This complex surgical operation was performed at the Duchess International Hospital, on a 17-year-old lady, originally diagnosed with this severe congenital heart defect at birth. The collaboration between the two institutions is a unique example of successful partnership between public and private sector healthcare. The patient has si...