Rev. Robert Mugabe, a priest attached to the Bishop’s Office in Muhabura Diocese, Kisoro district is currently looking for 45 million shillings to facilitate his five months old son’s required Ventricular septal defect surgery in India.
Rev. Mugabe and Family are now calling upon all well wishers and humanitarian Service organizations to come to their rescue.
The Reverend’s son, Abaho Abimelech, was diagnosed with Ventricular Septal defect at Mulago Heart Institute and Doctors referred him to India due to the complexity of the defect.
Abaho was born with a ventricular septal defect, often known as a VSD, it is a hole in the wall between the two lower chambers of the heart. According to Brian Holland, M.D., chief of pediatric cardiology at University of Louisville and co-director at Norton Children’s Heart Institute, a VSD is a relatively common defect that sometimes can be managed with medication and correct itself as the child grows.
However, Doctors at Mulago Heart Institute say that that might not be the case with Abaho as the defect continues to rupture the immaculate heart.
The Uganda Heart Institute cardiac Echo report findings on Abaho indicate that the todler was diagnosed with trisomy 21, complete AV canal defect with unbalanced ventricles. He was then referred to India for a surgery slated to be done within 6 months of age, elapsing on 18th February 2023.
Annet Tushabomwe Olivious, mother to Abaho also a health worker at Rugarama hospital in Kabale Municipality, the heart defects were discovered on new years day after the baby started experiencing difficulties in breathing while they were at home in Kijuguta cell, Butengo ward, Nyanamo town council in Kisoro district.
She said that they took the baby to potters’ village, a children’s health center where the doctor who did a word round and Echo discovered holes in the heart of a baby and referred them to Mulago hospital for specialized treatment.
Tushabomwe adds that, “Abaho was born last year on 18th August with 2.8 Kilogram, later got difficulties to add weight. He fell sick at birth making it difficult for him to breast feed leading to a weight lose of of upto 0.4 kgs.”
She is now appealing to the general public and well wishers to help them in their son’s health restoration.
Dr. Arinaitwe Alice Ayebare, a chronic care specialist at Chronic care clinic, Rugarama hospital says that such cases are rarely registered at the hospital. She revealed that within the past three years they have registered only two cases noting that, “Ventricular Septal defects are usually caused by teratogenic effects.”
In more extreme cases of Ventricular Septal Defects similar to Abaho’s, a child can have trouble gaining weight, experience fatigue and not be able to run and play similar to her peers. Some children may need surgical intervention to close the hole. In these cases, the heart is working overtime because of the extra blood passing through the hole, leading to heart failure.
Most children with unrepaired complex heart lesions do not live to celebrate their first birthday.
According to the 2020 African Health Study, of 4,621 children attended to at the Uganda Heart Institute, 3526 (76.3%)were found to coronary Heart disease. Ventricular septal defect was the most common.
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