7000 Ugandan Kids Go Without Heart Treatment

By Adiga Julius

The executive director, Uganda heart institute, Dr. John Omangino confirms screening 500 people of heart complication on a daily basis at the ongoing tax payers fair running at Kololo airstrip.

Dr. Omangino further reveals that the institute has got the best cardiology treatment technology in radio frequency wave which does not need a heart surgeon to cut while doing cardio operations on a heart patient and this is fast class treatment used even in developed countries.

He further expresses concerns over the huge case of children presenting with heart problems with the numbers totaling to 8000.

Dr. Omangino says, only 1000 children manage to be diagnosed of different heart problems leaving 7000 out with heart problems.

The country receives 3000 new cases of heart problems every year which scares the institute.

However, the head of non communicable disease in the health ministry, Dr. Gerald Mutungi says, govt has issued a directive to the education ministry not to license any school without a playing ground.

This is geared towards promoting physical education as one of the means to curb down on the cropping up of heart diseases among children who are the future generation of this nation.

Omaningo further reveals that they need USD.5M to cover for treatment of 1000 heart patients.

Uganda spends USD.20M on foreign referrals for heart complications yet the institute needs USD.70M to construct and equip the new treatment center to be able to handle for numbers of patients as well as carry out clinical, research and treatment.

Currently, the intensive care unit at the institute has a five bed capacity which is very limited depending on the increasing number of heart cases in the country.

According to health experts, heart diseases are due to poor eating habits, poor life style among other factors which they say are avoidable.

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