Suubi Trust

Published in New Vision Online…

By Josephine Maseruka

LOOKING at the little Aziz Abdulla Ssegujja on oxygen in the intensive care unit at the International Hospital Kampala, there was no doubt that he had just undergone a big operation. As he lay on his back with a blank expression, the surgeons kept watch.

Since Saturday, the hospital has conducted six open-heart operations, bringing to 13 the cases done since April 2007. This time, the UK-based Ghanaian cardiac expert, Dr. Clement Agyin, with a team of local and foreign doctors, conducted a more complicated surgery known as the Tetralogy of a Fallot’s.

Ssegujja’s condition, which one is born with, bears four abnormalities: a hole in the heart, a defective narrow pulmonary valve, obstructed flow through the lungs and a mal-positioned aorta (the largest blood vessel in the human body).

Dr. Agyin explained that eight-year-old Ssegujja could not walk. His oxygenated blood was mixing with the de-oxygenated blood, making him have 68% oxygen in his blood as opposed to 98% in a normal person.

“He was retarded, had shortness of breath, he could not walk and often squatted. His lips and tongue had turned blue. Though still in the intensive care unit, his body systems are working better than before the eight-hour surgery that was conducted on Monday,” Agyin stated. For Aziz’s parents, Nasser and Fatima Ssegujja of Kawempe, it was a miracle come true that their son was getting a new life.

Dr. Ian Clarke, the proprietor of IHK, said: “This is one of the most technically challenging congenital heart condition any team can deal with and the first of its kind in Uganda.”

The team of 12 experts included Dr. Moses Galukande, a senior surgeon and Dr. Michael Oketcho from Mulago Hospital. The anaesthesia team was composed of Dr. Stephen Ttendo and Dr. Joseph Ejoku.

Others were Dr. Edward Khandazhapov, a Russian and John Nelson, a British perfusionist, who ran the heart-lung machine.

The nurses were Lillian Nakayiza, Maureen Dhabangi and Sumine Okullo.

Galukande explained that other operations involved repairing the pulmonary valve, patching two holes in the heart and correcting the Aortic blood flow.

Simon Okoth, a Senior Six student, was among those operated upon. He had an obstruction in the Aoarta and his heart was twice the normal size.

The others operated on were Kennedy Komakech, 27, Yvonne Akello, 7, Linton Ayebale, 8 and Mark Mwesigwa 18.

All the operations were funded by Sung-Hwan Kim, the proprietor of Hwan Sung Charity and the honourary Consul of South Africa to Uganda, who contributed $30,000 (about sh55m).

This is the second time Kim is funding the surgeries. The first time he offered sh60m to five patients, who were operated on in October. Each operation took about $7,000 (sh12m), half of what it would cost in India. In the UK it costs $50,000 (sh80m).

IHK, through its charity organisation, Hope Ward, is appealing for more sponsors to help 30 heart patients due for operation in May, August and November.