The overall economic situation of most individuals is extreme poverty, with most families living on less than
$300 per year. In Nigeria, open-heart surgery costs around $10K-$16K. It would take 14.4 years for a family in
poverty to save enough to afford an open-heart procedure in Nigeria, this would be if they did not pay for
rent, food, or any life necessities. In 2013, there was not a single facility in Nigeria where you could receive open-heart surgery.
The VOOM Foundation was formed around the concept of providing patient care through medical missions,
but also improving the current healthcare system through the education and training of Nigerian healthcare
providers. VOOM Foundation has MOUs with each of our partner hospitals in Nigeria that keep the cost of
open-heart surgery at $2,500 per patient since we bring the expertise, training programs, consumable
supplies, and medications. Then, VOOM Foundation raises patient scholarships for indigent surgeries so they
can receive the care they need without any financial burden.
The VOOM Foundation is helping create a sustainable cardiac surgery program for the people of Nigeria,
through capacity building, training, and education. We are proud to say that in 2023, VOOM led all healthcare facilities in Nigeria in open-heart procedures performed. An amazing accomplishment, but it just goes to show how much work needs to be done, and I am excited to be part of this mission.