Dr. Folasade Alli: Enabling Professional & Honest Approach to Cardiovascular Care

Access to healthcare is a fundamental human right that is essential for maintaining good health and well-being. Longing to enable this objective in Nigeria and Africa, Dr. Folasade Alli, the Founder & Chief Medical Director of Lagos Executive Cardiovascular Centre, stepped up to provide a professional and honest approach to healthcare. Determined to contribute to the improvement of healthcare in her native Nigeria, she became a founding member of the Society of Quality in Healthcare in Nigeria (SQHN) and later founded Dr. Folasade Alli LECC.

Dr. Alli has over 30 years of experience as a consultant cardiologist and leads the hospital in enabling personalized medical care throughout patients’ consultation, assessment and treatment process. In an interview with Insights Care, Dr. Alli walks us through her journey in enabling cardiovascular care, with utmost patient safety and high treatment quality.

Following are the excerpts from the interview:

Kindly brief us about yourself and shed some light on your journey at Lagos Executive Cardiovascular Centre.

I am Dr. Folasade Alli. As an adult cardiologist with over 30 years of experience, I have always been passionate about providing top-quality care to patients. In 2017, I founded the Lagos Executive Cardiovascular Centre (LECC) with the vision of providing world-class cardiovascular medical services to the Nigerian population. Since then, my journey at LECC has been one of growth and learning. We have invested in state-of-the-art facilities, and our team of highly skilled healthcare professionals work tirelessly to provide comprehensive cardiovascular care to our patients. It has been incredibly rewarding to see the impact we have made on the community, and we are constantly striving to improve and expand our services.

At LECC, we are committed to delivering patient-centric care that is accessible and affordable. We have been able to achieve this through our focus on innovation, continuous improvement, and the use of evidence-based practices. Our goal is to be the leading cardiovascular center in Nigeria and the West African sub-region, and I am excited about the opportunities that lie ahead for us.”

Please brief our audience about Lagos Executive Cardiovascular Centre. Kindly tell us your source of inspiration for venturing into the Cardiovascular Healthcare Space.

Lagos Executive Cardiovascular Centre (LECC) is a world-class cardiovascular health facility based in Lagos, Nigeria. Our mission is to provide the highest level of cardiovascular care in the country and the West African region, leveraging the latest technologies and best practices from around the world.

My Co-founder and I were inspired to venture into the cardiovascular healthcare space in Nigeria due to the high prevalence of cardiovascular diseases in the country and the lack of access to quality care. We saw an opportunity to make a difference and create a center of excellence that could provide cutting-edge treatments and diagnostic services to patients in need. We wanted to raise the standard of cardiovascular care in the country and provide a world-class facility that patients could trust and rely on. Our passion for improving the health outcomes of our patients and making a positive impact in the community drives us every day at LECC.

Kindly elaborate upon the services that you lead/deliver at the organization. And do they provide a complete continuum of cardiovascular care solutions to the patients?

At Lagos Executive Cardiovascular Centre, we provide comprehensive cardiovascular care services, ranging from preventive cardiology to advanced cardiovascular interventions. As an adult cardiologist, I specialize in the diagnosis and management of heart conditions in adults, including hypertension, coronary artery disease, heart failure, and arrhythmias.

In addition, our center offers a range of cardiovascular diagnostic services, such as echocardiography, stress testing, and cardiac catheterization, as well as advanced interventions such as angioplasty, stenting, and pacemaker implantation. We also provide cardiac rehabilitation services to help patients recover after a cardiac event and improve their overall heart health.

We aim to provide a complete continuum of care for our patients, from early detection and prevention of cardiovascular disease to the most advanced interventions and long-term management of heart conditions. We are committed to delivering high-quality, patient-centered care and using the latest technology and evidence-based practices to ensure the best possible outcomes for our patients.

What made you get into the field of cardiology?

The human body is the oldest, most functional complex biological system known to man. Human medicine has several specialties which are as important as cardiology, nevertheless, the role of the heart in keeping a human alive can never be over-emphasized.

A failed brain leads to stroke, a failed eye leads to blindness, a failed leg leads to being crippled but a failed heart leads to end-organ damage and subsequent death if not managed. Hence, because of my interest, I wanted to participate in that aspect of medicine that is responsible for being the most alive which is the heart.

How do you ensure patient safety and quality care management at the hospital?

As a licensed member of the SQHN (Society for Quality in health care), we ensure to take on weekly quality management trainings in our facility, these trainings include practical drills and theoretical teachings on relevant topics.

LECC’s mission statement clearly states, “Quality management benchmarked against international standards and technological advances.” In a nutshell, we are tech-savvy and always incorporate newer biomedical machines in our patient management procedures ensuring that we are always up to date, ahead and never behind.

What R&D operations are your conducting at present and why?

Our research and development team are currently working on the effects (adverse) of beta-blockers (cardiovascular medication), on patients’ fertility (patients of child bearing ages). Our scope covers; ages 19-45 for females and 19- 65 for males. The reason for this research is to professionally suggest better pharmaceutical modifications in treating cardiology cases in persons of childbearing age.

What are some of the challenges you face when conducting operations and how do you turn them into opportunities for growth?

One of the biggest challenges we face is the lack of awareness among the general public about the importance of cardiovascular health and the need for regular check-ups and screenings. We are working to address this by partnering with local communities and organizations to provide educational resources and promote the importance of preventive care.

Another challenge we face is the shortage of qualified medical professionals in Nigeria. To address this, we have invested in training and development programs for our staff, as well as partnering with international organizations to bring in expertise and share knowledge.

How do you envision scaling your services and operations in 2023 and beyond?

I envision explaining our scope by establishing a Cath lab in Northern Nigeria where is none except Abuja. Increase our national presence across the 6 geopolitical zones in Nigeria by leveraging technology, and more.

Please give us a few testimonials from your clients and awards or recognition that accurately highlight your position in the market.

You guys are fantabulous when it comes to services. You guys are excellent. My first experience had me challenged by the price. I like the fact that the bill is explicit and detailed. Unlike other places where you are charged without itemizing the cost per charge.

Dr. Alli is fantastic, Dr. Chike is superb, and the client service manager is also fantastic. I will suggest you reduce your bills to encourage more people (the common man out there).

_ Mr. Thompson