'Uganda Short Of Heart Surgeons'

Jun 19, 2001

UGANDA could save upto US$250,000 (sh445m) annually on heart operations when open-heart surgery becomes possible in Mulago Hospital, experts have said.

By Charles Wendo UGANDA could save upto US$250,000 (sh445m) annually on heart operations when open-heart surgery becomes possible in Mulago Hospital, experts have said. Prof. Francis Omaswa, the Director General of Health Services, said the Uganda Heart Institute in Mulago had got the facilities for open-heart surgery but has not yet trained enough staff. Omaswa was on Monday addressing a press conference at the Ministry of Health headquarters. He met with a renowned Indian heart surgeon, Prof. Cherian, who was in Uganda for a one-day visit to offer technical support to the heart institute. Buganda health minister Robert Sebunya was also present. Omaswa said the ministry had been referring an average of 150 heart patients a year for operation abroad, each costing US$10,000 in addition to travelling and accommodation. Currently, the institute is only able to conduct closed heart operations but lacks the capacity to open up the interior of the heart. "We need money to send people for training then we save all that money. If we can put together US$20,000 (sh35.6m), we can have all those people sent to India," he said. Cherian said, "If it is possible in India, it should be possible here also. It is possible to cut down all these costs of sending patients abroad." He said his organisation, the Madras Medical Mission, would offer free hands-on training for Ugandan medics in a major heart hospital in India. He said he would also help to modify the infrastructure in the Uganda Heart Institute to suit third world conditions. "If you are going to copy everything the way it is in the United Kingdom or United States, this place is not going to work," he said. Cherian said whereas an open heart operation costs about US$50,000 in America and Britain, they are able to do it in India for $3,000 because they have modified their hospital to suit conditions of a developing country. Ends

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