– through Public Health Ministry’s Public Day

JOSIAH McKenzie was born on September 29, 2018 with a hole in her heart. As a result, she has been having trouble breathing and her heart has been put under much strain since then.

The mother of the five-month-old baby, Ephah, explained that Josiah was born with a hole in her heart at the intersection of the two sides of the heart.

One side of the heart pumps out oxygenated blood while the other receives the deoxygenated blood. As a result of the hole in the child’s heart, her mother explained that the oxygenated and deoxygenated blood are “mixing” with each other, and it is causing the child to have difficulty breathing. Furthermore, this causes the heart of young Josiah to overwork.

The initial tests done to diagnose the child were done at the Balwant Singh Hospital.

“They don’t have the utilities to facilitate a baby, so she had to join the Georgetown Public Hospital Corporation (GPHC),” the mother said.

The baby was admitted and treated there since last year. She (Josiah’s mother) also has difficulties breastfeeding, because of her (Josiah) inability to breathe normally – which also causes excess fluid to build up in the body.

The mother has been receiving Lasix, a drug that helps to reduce the amount of excess fluid in the body by increasing the amount of urine produced.

“She has to do a surgery to close the hole,” the mother said. However, only then will the child be able to breathe and eat normally.

However, there has been a hiccup in acquiring the required treatment. At the GPHC, the woman said, she was told that the results of the echocardiogram test done at the Balwant Singh Hospital could not be used. Instead, she needed to get another one done at the GPHC.

“Since last year to now, they [the GPHC] don’t have a technician to do the test,” the woman complained. Last Friday however, the Ministry of Public Health hosted a public day forum where citizens could visit the ministry and receive assistance for any health or health-related issue. Ephah did not pass up that opportunity.

Early Friday morning, she strapped in her baby across her chest, and trekked to the ministry’s Brickdam office.

Fortunately, she met with a team of professionals and was given an “urgent note” to take to the GPHC, so that she could receive immediate assistance.

After receiving the note from the team at the Ministry of Public Health, Ephah strapped her baby in, opened her umbrella and got on her way to the GPHC.

Speaking to the Guyana Chronicle on Saturday, the woman said that she was able to secure a slot to do the echocardiogram test on Tuesday, February 12.

Now that the process of getting relief for Josiah has begun moving along, the woman must now prepare for the surgery. She told this newspaper that more than likely, it will have to be done overseas.

For anyone desirous of reaching out to Ephah to provide any form of assistance, she can be contacted on her number: +5926453590