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Poor heart patients need great support
2008-04-01 08:53:40
By Joseph Mwendapole
Tanzania like other developing countries has been recording rising numbers of heart patients whose treatment depends largely on surgery available overseas.
Experts attribute the trend to high costs of treatment, which many heart patients could hardly afford.
The situation is becoming worse because of poverty facing most of the heart patients. It requires a lot of money for the patient to get treated abroad, especially in countries which have heart specialists.
Communities still find it hard to mobilize enough funds to assist their relatives undergo heart operations outside the country because of persisting poverty, according to heart specialists.
Although, the problem existed for years but very few people have managed to develop strategic plans and strategies for financing treatment of heart patients.
It\'s not a big deal with rich families as they are able to finance treatment of their heart patients at locally available heart treatment facilities and sometimes even outside the country.
Thanks God-some of the non-governmental organizations (NGOs) and charity organizations are coming up with new initiatives to assist heart patients by volunteering to solicit treatment funds from both local and foreign summaritians.
Lions Club of Dar es Salaam (Host) through Regency Medical Centre in conjunction with Rodney Mutie Mengi Foundation have currently been mobilizing funds to facilitate treatment of less privileged and vulnerable people, affected by heart problems.
According to convener of heart project in Lions Club, Dr. Rajni Kanabar, the number of Tanzanians suffering from heart diseases is increasing.
He said most the patients can not afford costs associated with the treatment of the curable disease.
Available statistics in the Ministry of Health and Social Welfare estimate that there are 700 people with heart problems in Tanzania who don\'t have money to go abroad for treatment.
As a result of this, according to Kanabar, most of the patients were dying due to lack of appropriate treatment.
Dr. Kanabar elaborated that most of heart diseases are curable but high cost of treatment has remained a major stumbling block to most of Tanzanians affected by heart complications.
He made an appeal to Tanzanians to join forces in support of the needy people.
One open heart surgery can roughly cost between 6,000 and 10,000 US dollars, a figure which is higher compared to the purchasing power of majority of Tanzanians.
Members of the Lions Club of Dar es Salaam (Host), according to the official, are currently showing the way by volunteering to source out funding for supporting heart patients.
The club had always been in the frontline to help the poor out of difficult situations and save their lives.
Recently, infant Aryan Kanabar, one of the club members, from London, contributed 625 US dollars for 25 heart patients who went to India for heart treatment.
For many years, the club had been sending heart patients abroad for treatment, mostly India-at one of the world and first-class Narayana Hrudayalaya Hospital located in Bangalore town.
Dr Kanabar states that Narayana Hrudayalaya Hospital is one of the largest hospitals in the world and the first in Asia, when it comes to the treatment of heart patient.
Reports show that about 99 percent of heart patients from different parts of the world who are referred to the hospital are cured and thus resume normal health.
According to the heart expert, the hospital has the capacity to conduct surgery for 25 patients per day.
Great moral and material support of Tanzanians, however, is needed for the treatment of poor men and women suffering from heart problems, especially for undergoing a hearty surgery abroad.
\"Our country has the population size of 38million people. If everybody contributes at least one US dollar, we will definitely get 38 million US dollars, which we could use to save lives of these 700 heart patients,\" contends Dr Kanabar.
The lions club has demonstrated its determination by planning to send another batch of heart patients to India.
Some of the patients, who had gone to India for heart surgery and came back home in good health, commended the club and other well-wishers for the assistance.
One of the beneficiaries of the long-term project, Abdul Hassa Amour, said his son who was suffering from heart problems, was operated and now he is living a normal life.
His child had a hole on the chest that caused difficulty in breathing.
``He was too weak before treatment…but he is now cherishing up, and growing up in good health,`` Amour said.
John Prosper, is one of those whose child, Ana Prosper (2), was one among the patients who benefited from heart-programme facilitated by the Lions Club.
According to Prosper, his daughter was losing weight and faced frequent fever before undergoing heart treatment.
``I thank all the people who had donated money for the heart operation of my daughter in India, including the Executive Chairman of IPP Group of Companies, Reginald Mengi,`` he said.
Recently, Lions Club Dar es Salaam (host) in collaboration with the Rodney Mengi Heart Foundation together with the Ministry of Health and Social Welfare facilitated heart treatment for 26 patients in India.
The Indian High Commissioner to Tanzania, Kochiril Bhagirath, who graced the occasion to bid them farewell, had pledged to cooperate with the Lions Club Dar es Salaam (Host) to ensure that the patients receive proper treatment in the Indian Hospital.
He commended the work done by the Club and IPP Executive Chairman, saying they have demonstrated their commitment and dedication to the plight of poor and sick people.
``I advise Mengi to increase his efforts in establishment of the heart institute so that patients could be treated locally,`` he said, pledging to assist Mengi to accomplish his mission.
All Tanzanians, the government, NGOs, institutions and individuals, therefore, should appreciate and team up with the Delhi government in supporting local initiatives aiming at relieving heart patients from curable health problems.
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