In a bold move to address the growing healthcare gap among low-income Nigerians, UPTH Premium, a private facility located within the University of Port Harcourt Teaching Hospital (UPTH), has flagged off a Surgical Inreach Program aimed at offering free life-changing operations to the underprivileged.
Slated to run from July 28 to August 8, 2025, the initiative will provide 20 fully-funded surgeries—including 10 myomectomies for women with fibroids and 10 prostatectomies for men battling prostate conditions. Beneficiaries were drawn from a pool of over 1,000 applicants through a rigorous medical selection process based on urgency and readiness.
At a press briefing on Wednesday, UPTH Premium’s Chief Operating Officer, Mr. Johnny Usifo, described the project as a deliberate intervention to mitigate the impact of soaring surgical costs on vulnerable communities.
“With rising inflation and deepening inequalities, many Nigerians cannot afford critical surgeries,” Usifo said. “This is our way of giving back and showing that accessible healthcare is possible—even in a constrained economy.”
The event, which drew representatives from the Rivers State Ministry of Health, Nigerian Medical Association (NMA), Medical Women’s Association of Nigeria (MWAN), and other medical and civil society stakeholders, also served as a clarion call for greater collaboration.
UPTH Premium is appealing to public institutions, private corporations, NGOs, donor agencies, and philanthropic individuals to support the expansion of the initiative. Additional funding would enable more surgeries, extended post-operative care, and future medical outreach programs.
“This program is not a one-off,” Usifo noted. “It’s a blueprint for what can be achieved when compassion meets commitment. But we cannot do it alone.”
The facility emphasized that the goal is not just to treat, but to restore dignity and hope to those often left behind in the healthcare system.
