Heart surgery program close to milestones

Caption:  Dr Noah Tapaua

By MATTHEW VARI

Sunday, February 14, 2016 (Sunday Chronicle, PNG)

OPERATION Open Heart reached milestone with the first bout of surgeries for 2016 concluded on Friday for 995 patients operated on since the initiative commenced in 1993 close to the 1000 saved lives mark.

The achievement will also make way for a fully established localized heart team by the end of the decade according to Chief Cardiothoracic Surgeon Dr Noah Tapaua.

“The program has come a long way since 1993 and it is the only successful program which has produced results and training.”

“Over the 23 years we have treated 984 Papua New Guineans who could have died. By the end of this week we will be at 995, and we are almost reaching the 1000 mark.”

“The program’s success goes back to the selection process. It is not only us here but it is team work. We have the pediatric team with Dr Cornelia Kilalang, Professor Nakapi Tefuarani, and adult cardiologist Professor (Sir) Isi Kevau.”

“The anesthetic team Dr Abert Karu and nursing staff who have come for training nurses in the theatre and those that take care of the patients after surgery.”

Dr Tapaua added that there is still more training needed, but the core group is already in place.

“What we have done over the years we are starting to cut down the numbers in the teams that visit and we are trying to build our capacity and that is why you see a small group coming and we are trying to build our local capacity up.”

“This year we will have four visits in small groups. We are going to do frequent small visits with two visiting teams from Australia and two from Singapore. The program will now be a frequent one now.”

“The aim is to phase out the visiting team and we continue to build our local unit here that is our long-term aim.”

“We have mapped out the pathway so that by 2018-19 we should be fully established with the support of the government through our good patron here.”

Tapaua was also optimistic about conversations with Prime Minister O’Neill since 2012, hoping that the talks can come to fruition in order for more Papua New Guineans to be treated.

“These are patients that come all the way from the village who cannot even afford this kind of operation overseas.”

“To run this program over a week it cost over K300,000 which is the cost of one patient going overseas.”

“I think the statistics speak for itself and with the help from our colleagues from Australia, Singapore I see the program is going to be sustained.”

The first visit for Operation Open heart saw 11 Papua New Guinean Children, between the ages of 2 to 11 years, being operated on.

Operation Open Heart was moved ahead of schedule for 2016 due to the urgency of cases and constant training undertaken for local doctors to regularly conduct heart surgeries under the four visits scheduled for the year.