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Heart institute collects 169m/-
2005-05-22 08:32:58
By Ludger Kasumuni
The Tanzania Heart Institute (THI) has collected 169m/- in its on going campaign for establishing a permanent fund for assisting local heart patients who are in desperate condition.
Addressing a press conference in Dar es Salaam yesterday, the THI president, Dr Ferdinand Masau, said that the governemnt had already permitted the THI to collect funds and spend them judiciously in line with financial regulations.
He said that under the government’s licence, they had been given permission to collect the funds, and spend them in a transparent manner to enable the targetted people benefit from the funds.
He said only heart patients with poor economic capacity and approved to undergo operations, would be entitled to get the funds for meeting surgery costs.
It must be borne in mind that patients not lined up for operations will not receive the grant,Masau said.
He added that a special committee must approve all patients who would qualify to get funds for surgery.
According to him, the costs for surgery for a single patient requiring replacement of valve ranges between 5m/- and 6m/-.
He said the commencement date for spending the collected funds for carrying out surgery for selected patients would be September 1st this year.
“It is important that each heart patient must have small fund for medical check-up that would be carried out by the THI, Dr. Masau said.
Earlier, the Co-ordinator of the fund raising programme for THI, Stephen Kuziganika, said that under the campaign, the target was to collect 500m/- that would be spent on at least 100 children suffering from heart diseases.
Kuziganika thanked various organisations which had contributed to the funds, including The Guardian Limited, ITV, Radio One, MEDX-Tanzania, Multichoice and Coca- Cola Company.
Others who have contributed to the funds are JKT, Tanzania Standard Newspapers Limited, Business Times, Mwananch Communications, Free Media, the Police Force, ASAS Dairy and Wapo Radio.
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