Africa-Press – Tanzania. THE Dodoma-based Benjamin Mkapa Hospital (BMH) has teamed up with American cardiologists to conduct a special camp to offer heart screening and medication services to children free of charge.
Head of Cardiology and Cardiothoracic Services Section of the BMH, Dr Happiness Kusima, noted that the services provision started yesterday at the facility.
Dr Kusima explained that the main goal of the camp, which will end on 17 July, is to provide more children suffering from heart complications with screening and medication services within a short period.
“Statistics indicate that one in every 100 children is born with heart complications,” said the Head of Cardiology and Cardiothoracic Section Services of the Hospital.
Dr Kusima said another objective of the camp is to exchange experiences with their counterparts from USA, saying mothers with children suffering from cardiovascular diseases should bring their children to the Benjamin Mkapa Hospital.
“Mothers with children suffering from cardiovascular diseases should use this camp to address the problems,” she said.
Dr Kusima explained that mothers with children suffering from cardiovascular diseases will be received at the reception of the BMH and directed to pediatric unit of the BMH for medical consultations. She mentioned other heart diseases that cardiologists would work on during the camp as Atrial Septal Defect (ASD), Ventricular Septal Defect (VSD) and Patent Ductus Artery (PDA).
“We will conduct congenital heart defect corrective surgery and treat a heart defect that a child is born with,” she said.
Ms Mary John, one of the mothers who brought her child to the camp, expressed gratitude to the BMH for the opportunity, noting that other hospitals should emulate BMH for conducting such camps.
“The camps provide public with an opportunity to get medication of the serious diseases,” said the mother, who is a resident of Kihonda, Morogoro Region
