PARENTS, guardians of children with heart diseases are forking out USD30 000 for open heart surgeries which are done overseas, parliamentarians heard on Tuesday.
By Kuda Pembere
Brave Little Hearts Zimbabwe, an organisation representing the interests of children with heart diseases on Tuesday petitioned the Health and Child Care parliamentary portfolio committee to look into challenges facing these children.
BLHZ director Ms Tendai Moyo said the most common of pediatric heart diseases can be corrected in Zimbabwe instead of going abroad.
Most of the children are born with a complete AVSD, a heart condition where there is a large whole in the centre of the heart which allows blood to flow between all four chambers.
The condition can be surgically corrected but the services are not available in our public health system. Most children who are diagnosed are being referred to South Africa or India, a cost that is out of reach for many families.
“The patients referred overseas are faced with a huge financial burden forking out more than 30 000 US dollars for the medical procedure and airfares,” she said.
She also bemoaned the fact that most of these children hardly live past the age of five. Children failing to access care are hardly surviving beyond the age of five,” Ms Moyo.
Ms Moyo requested the parliamentarians to help them lobby for early diagnosis and appropriate medical treatment to Congenital Heart disease individuals in the community.
“Capacitate Hospitals and Clinics with child friendly infrastructure, equipment and Human Resource for an internationally recognized cardiac care facility
