Recently Five Ethiopian patients underwent successful Open Heart Surgeries at Jayadeva Institute.  Out of five, threeof them were blue babies,two was suffering from Large hole in the heart with Severe Pulmonary Hypertension.

The Children were from East African Nation, Ethiopia and were waiting for years for Foreign Surgical Team to arrive in Addis Ababa where there are some centers having facility to do Open Heart Surgeries.  Parents say in Ethiopia do not have Paediatric Cardiac Surgeons to perform Complex Congenital Heart Surgeries. 

These Complex heart surgeries are routine surgeries at Jayadeva Hospital according to Dr. P.K. Sunil, who performed these surgeries. 

Master YeabsraSewnetaged 14 years from Dessie, Miss MaryemShafi aged 12 years from EnemorEner, MisssEmandaEntesaseb aged 8 years from Addis Ababa were suffering from Tetrology of Fallot.  Master AminadabAlemuaged 6 years from Legetafo and Master AyubAbdureb aged 16 years from Addis Ababa, Ethiopia were suffering from Large Holes in the heart. 

According to Dr. K S Ravindranath, Director - out of every 1000 babies born, 8-10 will have these complex congenital diseases more commonly in the form of Tetralogy of Fallot, Heart Holes or narrowing of the valves. The usual symptoms of heart holes are fever, recurrent cough, common cold, Pneumonia, growth retardation and bluish discolouration of skin and nails and poor weight gain.

All these patients are basically from Addis Ababa in Ethiopia and they are ailing from financially constrained families. 

Rotary International from Ethiopiathough Ethiopian Ministry of Health, Ethiopian Airlines and The Children’s Heart Fund of Ethiopia has contacted Bangalore Rotary International District 3190 and Needy Heart Foundation RotarianMr.RajendraRaiand other Rotariansto arrange Surgery at Jayadeva Hospital, Bangalore.   In turn they contacted us and sent all the medical reports of these patients through Mail for further advice and treatment.

The Paediatric Cardiac Surgeons at our Institute have studied all the cases and decided to call them for Surgery inthe month of January 2024and accordingly they were admitted on 31.01.2024. We have conducted these procedures at a subsidized cost. Rotary Midtown Bangalore through Rotary Needy Heart Foundation is sponsoringpartial funds towards these Surgeries and rest will be borne from the Institute.

The Team of Doctors headed by Dr. P K Sunil, Dr. Divya, Dr. Rashmi along with other Associate Doctors and Staff has successfully conducted these heart surgeries.

All these children made smooth, had an uneventful recovery and their parents and after 25 days stay at Hospital, they are flying back to Ethiopia today.  Ethiopian Rotary Members are very much thankful to all the facilities, hospitality and quality treatment provided at an affordable cost. 

The parents of these children whole heartedly thanked the Karnataka Government and the Director, Dr. K S Ravindranath for allowing them to get operated at Jayadeva Hospital, Bengaluru, Karnataka, India.

DR.K S RAVINDRANATH
DIRECTOR