African Medical Centre of Excellence conducts its first open heart surgery

The African Medical Centre of Excellence (AMCE) has conducted its first open heart surgery and West Africa’s first stereotactic body radiation therapy (SBRT) for lung cancer.

The AMCE is a tertiary medical city developed by the African Export-Import Bank (Afreximbank) in partnership with King’s College Hospital, London.

The facility, which was inaugurated in June 2025, is located in Abuja, Nigeria’s capital city.

In a statement, the organisation said the two landmark achievements show “AMCE’s commitment to providing complex, life-saving treatments in Africa, significantly reducing the critical need for medical travel abroad”.

The organisation said its clinical teams have “rapidly expanded the Centre’s capability to deliver high-acuity care across both cardiovascular medicine and oncology”.

“On the oncology front, AMCE successfully delivered West Africa’s pioneer SBRT for lung cancer, a highly advanced radio surgical technique that achieves surgical-level precision without incision.

“The milestone case involved an octogenarian with a localised lung tumour who received treatment enabled by sophisticated imaging, real-time motion tracking, and highly personalised radiation planning.

“In cardiovascular care, AMCE’s cardiac team continues to scale its interventional and surgical capabilities.

“In its first six months of operations, the hospital has performed over ten successful cardiac interventions, including coronary angiographies, permanent pacemaker insertions, and percutaneous coronary interventions (PCI).

“The successful completion of its first CABG now places AMCE among the few centres in Africa offering a fully integrated cardiac care pathway from advanced diagnostics and interventional cardiology to complex open-heart surgery within one facility.”

Commenting on the achievements, Brian Deaver, the chief executive officer of AMCE, said the open heart surgery and West Africa’s first SBRT present a “defining moment” for the centre.

Deaver added that the milestones “reflect the exceptional skill and dedication of our multidisciplinary teams”.