Saturday, January 12, 2013

Ex-gov aspirant down with chronic heart disease •Begs Mimiko, Aregbesola for help

For Dr. Albert Olajide Akinyemi, a former gubernatorial aspirant of the defunct Social Democratic Party (SDP), in the old Ondo State, life has been hellish since he was diagnosed of having angina pectoris, a heart complication precipitated by chest pain due to the schemia of the heart muscle in October, 2012.
Before the diagnosis, he had been bogged down by excruciating pains in his chest for weeks, a development which compelled him to seek medical help at the University College Hospital (UCH), Ibadan, Oyo State, where series of test conducted indicated that he is suffering from angina pectoris.
Angina pectoris is a coronary disease of the heart that prevents blood from flowing from the arteries to the heart, thus leading to a blockage of the blood vessels.
Speaking to the Saturday Tribune in his residence at Osogbo, Osun State, 70-year-old Dr. Akinyemi, who hails from Ikole Ekiti, in Ekiti State said, “I was diagnosed of having Angina disease at the UCH and I would need to undergo a surgicial operation in either India, United Kingdom or United States of America.”
But his major challenge now is how to raise a sum of N3million needed for the heart surgery in India, which is the cheapest compared to the cost of undergoing the operation in the US at the cost of N7million.
According to him, “The financial implication of this surgery is cumbersome. I cannot afford it. Right now, I have only managed to garner a little over N500,000. I would prefer to go to India if I could  get financial assistance. I was a governorship aspirant in Ondo State in the third Republic under the platform of the SDP. The incumbent governor of Ondo State, Dr. Olusegun Mimiko, has been known to me for some time. I have my chemical factory here in Osogbo, even though the business is on lower ebb”.
“All I want now is the assistance of Governors Mimiko, Aregbesola and Fayemi to save my soul before it is too late so that I can travel to India, where I would get thorough treatment for my aliment. But I have to commend Governor Fayemi. He had done creditably well by earmarking a sum of N1m and I think the remaining amount can be provided by the two other governors. I am begging them to help me so that I would not die,” Dr. Akinyemi pleaded.
In a letter written by a Consultant Cardiologist, Dr. A.A Adebiyi of the UCH, Ibadan, dated 11th October, 2012, it was confirmed that “Akinyemi, with hospital number 562373, has been hypertensive for over 20 years duration and diabetes of about nine years.”
It reads in part, “He presented with central chest pain that was described as a pressure. Pain is brought by exercise and relieved by rest, usually last 5-15 minutes.
But last episode lasted for about two hours, hence his presentation. ECG done showed sinus rhythm, left axis deviation, ST segment elevation in anterior and septal leads. He is being referred for further management abroad.”
Similarly, the hospital, where the heart surgery would be carried out in India, identified as Madras Medical Mission, had already forwarded a letter to the Indian High Commission in Nigeria for the quick processing of Dr. Akinyemi’s visa and that of his daughter, Ms Ladapo Atinuke Oyinlola, who will accompany him on the trip, provided he is able to raise the N3m required for the trip.
TRIBUNE

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