35 Children benefit from free heart surgery at UGMC

Thirty-Five children with various heart conditions are undergoing free surgery at the University of Ghana Medical Centre (UGMC) in Accra.

The operations, which started on August 5, 2023, will end on August 12, 2023.

Each of the surgeries which is being sponsored by Qatar Charity, is estimated to cost between $3,000 and $5,000.

Known as paediatric catheterisation, the surgery is being carried out by specialists from nine different countries including the US, Canada, Qatar and Jordan.

Cardiac catheterisation is a minimally invasive procedure in which a thin flexible tube, catheter, is guided through a blood vessel to the heart to diagnose or treat certain heart conditions such as clogged arteries or irregular heartbeats.

Treatment

At a ceremony to officially mark the beginning of the exercise in Accra yesterday, the Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of the centre, Dr Darius Osei, said congenital cardiac disease that affected children was about one in every 100 children, meaning out of every 100 children that are born, one would have the disease.

“Cardiac disease treatment is not exactly cheap, especially in our part of the world where we don't have people who are not economically self-sufficient.

Most of these children are coming from simple backgrounds and, therefore, need assistance.

“What is exciting about this particular mission is that the operation is going to be non-invasive or minimally invasive; it is not going to be like open heart surgeries.

“This means that patients will recover faster, and so this offers us a very unique opportunity to help the children who are unfortunate to have these diseases,” he said.

Dr Osei added that after the procedure, a patient could leave the hospital in two days. 

Advice

The CEO advised pregnant women to avoid taking substances such as alcohol which he said predisposed children to various congenital anomalies.

“Anytime you are pregnant and taking in any medication or ingesting any substance that you usually don't take, you need to be careful and ask professionals,” he said.

Dr Osei said that another laudable thing about the operation was transfer of expertise, adding that such interventional cardiology would enable doctors to learn about innovative techniques to support them in their work.

Qatar Charity

The Director, International Programmes and Development Department at Qatar Charity, Abdulaziz Jassim Hejji, said the intervention was a first step for more initiatives to support children.

He said the programme targeted congenital heart disease, cleft palate and cataract diseases and added that “we started with these 35 children as a pilot project”.

The Country Director, Qatar Charity, Hasan Owda, said the organisation started its activities in the country in 2018, and that it had since implemented various projects in water and sanitation, health, education, culture, housing and economic empowerment.

“We are building schools, constructing boreholes and a clinic.

We have also launched a campaign for cataract removal, including sponsoring the education of some 5,000 orphans, offering them monthly stipends and taking care of their health and housing needs,” he added. 

Writer’s email: rebecca.quaicoe-duho@graphic.com.gh