Seven children benefit from heart surgeries in India
Kaieteur News
November 29, 2006
Seven Guyanese children recently benefited from medical treatment in India through the generosity of Guyanese-Canadians in Toronto , The Three Rivers Kids Foundation in Ontario , and the Central Islamic Organisation of Guyana .
Ranging from ages 22 months to 13 years, the beneficiaries are Ravindra Persaud and Safeerah Allicock from Essequibo; Monika Singh from Unity; Cherry Ann Martin, Harish Kumar and Shaneeza Khan from Berbice, and Joshua Henry from Ruimveldt.
Accompanied by nurse Jeanette Singh, who is a Registered Nurse and the President of Three Rivers Foundation, the children, along with their mothers, arrived in Delhi on October 28.
They were all admitted to hospital upon arrival.
Surgeries began on October 30, but two surgeries were delayed because one child had a fungal infection of the skin and another child had scabies. These conditions had to be treated before surgery could be performed.
Six of the lot underwent open heart surgery to correct serious heart defects, and one also had eye surgery. The seventh child had part of his left lung removed.
Safeerah Allicock, who underwent both open heart and eye surgeries, celebrated her second birthday on November 2. Allicock suffers from congenital rubella syndrome, and as a result, developed severe cataracts in both eyes.
Allicock was only able to perceive changes in light levels.
Two weeks after having open heart surgery, Safeerah underwent eye surgery to remove the cataract.
“It is beyond explanation to describe the feelings and emotions when this child waved at the staff, 24 hours after having eye surgery, as she was being discharged from hospital. For the first time in her young life, she was able to see,” a release stated.
The children were all treated at Max Devi Devki Heart and Vascular Institute, in Saket, New Delhi .
Three Rivers Foundation supplied the medications for the post-operative recovery period, which was uneventful. The last child was discharged from the hospital on November 10, and the group returned to Guyana on November 18.
A 27-year-old patient from Guyana also went with the group for treatment.
The patient was diagnosed in Guyana with an incompetent heart valve and was being treated with Warafin (a blood thinner).
Her INR (blood clotting time) was not being monitored. Patients taking blood thinners should have their INR monitored bi-weekly, or at least weekly.
The patient suffered from water retention in her legs, arms and face. No diuretic (water tablet) was prescribed to her in Guyana .
Oxygen had to be administered to her on the aircraft, because of respiratory distress due to fluid in the lungs. Upon arrival in India , the patient was admitted to the Intensive Care Unit.
After further investigation, it was determined that the patient was actually suffering from severe Pulmonary Artery Hypertension (PAH) and not an incompetent valve.
There is no treatment for PAH, although appropriate medications may improve the quality of life for some time.
A heart/lung transplant is the only hope for patients with severe PAH.
The patient died before any surgical intervention was attempted. The cost for all seven surgeries was Cdn$25,420., while the cost of the airfares for the children and their mothers from Georgetown to India was Cdn$22,790.
Over the past 14 months, from September 2005 to November 2006, twenty-one children from Guyana received
medical treatment in India . Of that number, 20 underwent open heart surgery.
Three Rivers Kids Foundation has many poor and sick children from Guyana , who are waiting for much needed treatment, the release said.
It added that the Foundation is planning to take the next group of children from Guyana to India for treatment in 2007. Dave Pahuja and Indy Singh, both born in Punjab , India and living in Toronto , have made a commitment to the Three Rivers Kids Foundation to each sponsor one child from Guyana every year.
The cost of sponsoring a child is about Cdn$6,000. This amount will cover the surgical costs and the airfare for the child.
The Foundation is appealing to the Guyanese business community across Canada to render their assistance by sponsoring a child a year. Sponsorship can be done individually or as a group.
Those who require more information about the next mission, or wish to make a donation, can call Jeanette Singh at 905-891-6149, or visit thewebsite www.threeriverskidsfoundation.org.
Donations can be mailed to Three Rivers Kids Foundation, 1531 Kenmuir Avenue , Mississauga , Ontario L5G 4B6 .