–some six more to go

THE Baby Heart Foundation has so far successfully completed 12 open-heart surgeries on children affected by various heart complications.

Eighteen Guyanese children have been identified to undergo open-heart surgery at the Georgetown Public Hospital Corporation (GPHC) during the team’s November 21 – December 5 visit, and as of December 1, 2015, 12 surgeries have already been completed.

This is the Baby Heart Foundation’s third visit to Guyana, having made visits in May and June of this year, when 14 and 12 surgeries respectively were completed.

Minister of Public Health Dr. George Norton, on Monday visited the children scheduled to undergo open-heart surgery at the GPHC through the International Children’s Heart Foundation, also known as the Baby Heart Foundation.

Dr Norton met and interacted with the 15 volunteers and three staff members who comprise the Baby Heart Foundation’s medical team, as well as the parents of the children, in the Surgical Paediatric Ward of the GPHC.

The team, comprising a perfusionist, surgeon, cardiologist, nurses and a respiratory therapist, hopes to complete between 15 to 18 open-heart surgeries by the end of this visit.

In addition to performing open-heart surgeries, the Baby Heart Foundation has also been helping to build the capacity of the GPHC to cater to paediatric cardiac patients. This includes the training of local personnel such as nurses, paediatricians, anaesthesiologists and surgeons.

(Navendra Seoraj)