World-renowned footballer, Kanu Nwankwo, has urged the government to channel energy and funds to the health sector.

In an interview to commemorate the 2022 World Heart Day marked every September 28, Mr Nwankwo decried that many people die daily in Nigeria due to a lack of adequate health facilities.

He disclosed that his dream was to build a state-of-the-art Cardiac Specialist Hospital in Nigeria to help indigent children with heart diseases.

The football legend said if achieved, the centre would fill the yawning gap in the health sector to treat heart-related diseases and reduce medical tourism to foreign countries like India, America, South Africa and the United Kingdom.

“We need support from governments, corporate bodies, well-meaning Nigerians to achieve it,” he added.

He said his NGO had sponsored over 600 heart surgeries between 2000 and 2022, with 80 per cent of the operations done in India.

The football legend said over 200 children were on the waitlist for treatments.

Mr Nwankwo urged Nigerians to go for regular checks to identify when they have heart-related issues for quick medical attention.

The former Super Eagles captain had heart surgery in 1996 to correct a faulty aortic valve, prompting him to set up a foundation to treat undiagnosed heart diseases and provide surgeries for indigent African children and young adults. 

(NAN)