Abuja -The Kanu Heart Foundation (KHF) has announced plans to establish a Cardiac Centre for the treatment of heart diseases in the country.

Its founder, former football star, Mr Nwankwo Kanu, disclosed this in Abuja on Tuesday at a news conference.

He said the foundation decided to build the hospital to reduce the rate of death among patients and cut down on the cost of travelling abroad for treatment.

Kanu noted that recent experiences and the fresh alarm raised by experts over the rising incidence of heart diseases among children in the country had also motivated the foundation to undertake the project.

“We are worried by the growing number of patients suffering from congenital heart diseases now awaiting the attention on the foundation’s list.

“You are all living witnesses to what happened to me after I led Nigeria U-23 to the Olympic Gold Medal. My  career was threatened and my life was in jeopardy. ”

He said that the centre was expected to perform at least 250 open-heart surgeries annually, offer free treatment to children up to 12 years and subsidise the cost of treatment for adults.

Kanu said that it cost the KHF five times more money to send one child overseas for open heart surgery than if the surgery were carried out in Nigeria.

He regretted, however, that the relevant facilities were not available in the country.

“In fact, the money it costs us to send two children abroad will take care of 10 children if the surgeries were performed in Nigeria.”

The foundation had spent 4.2 million dollars in assisting heart patients since it began operation.

Kanu revealed that the NGO would partner with reputable heart specialists in India and Africa, saying that the foundation would hold a public fund raising in February 2012, to support the project.

Kanu Heart Foundation (KHF) is a non-governmental and non-profit Organisation founded in 2000 to help needy Nigerian Children with cardiac diseases.