Kampala, Uganda:

Six Ugandan children will receive life-saving heart surgeries at the Narayana hospital in Bangalore India last week.

Chairman of the Indian Association of Uganda (IAU) Shalendra Kundra said the operations will be conducted by Dr. Devi Shetty a cardiologist.
“The operation has been made possible by IAU through donations from the Indian community that totaled to Ushs 200 million as charity,” said Shalendra.
Before the first decision to take the children to India, there was a possibility for the surgery to be conducted in Uganda at a lower cost but experts discovered that the facilities were insufficient to carry out such a complicated operation.
The Indian High Commissioner to Uganda S.N Ray said that the move by the Indian society in Uganda is part of the commitment to help Uganda’s vulnerable children.
“Many parents cannot afford the high costs of medication and facilitation to India for the operation and so the association resolved to give a helping hand,” Ray said.
Ray referred to the 19 year old Arinaitwe Emily who had been struggling with the heart problem for such a long time since birth because the patients could not afford the high charges.
Arinaitwe had to forego UACE exams for the surgery because it was scheduled during the same time. Shalendra added that they have embarked on consultation with the heart consultants in India to extend the screening services to Uganda.
“Screening will ease selection of worst conditioned patients because there were over 400 applications which made selection costly,” Shalendra added.
Veronica Busingye a parent of Lukuba Jeremiah aged three is optimistic that the surgery will improve the health of her child that has been complicated over the years.
The association has helped over 20 heart patients undergo heart surgery since the initiation of the project in 2008.
The surgeries that are expected to run for a month will see the patients accompanied by their guardians.

source: http://www.busiweek.com / East African Business Week / Home> Science & Technology> Health / by Eriosi Nantaba / Sunday, December 04th, 2011