A senior Indian heart surgeon Dr Suresh Rao will be in Kampala on Thursday and Friday, to preside over a children cardiovascular clinic at the Le Memorial Hospital, off Munyonyo-Kajjansi road near the Entebbe Expressway. 

Rao, who will lead a team of other Indian experts, is cardiologist and director at the Children's Heart Centre in India and a consultant paediatric and congenital heart surgeon at Kokilaben Dhirubhai Ambani Hospital and Medical Research Institute in Mumbai. 

The medical camp is facilitated by Magnus Medi, a global medical value travel facilitator, also headquartered in Mumbai, India. 

Judith Komuhangi Sheenah, country head for Magnus Medi Uganda said the doctors will conduct free consultations on various types of cancers, heart problems for children as well as inspect bone, muscle, and spine-related conditions. 

Dr Rao will be assisted by Dr Imran Nisar Shaikh, a consultant in medical oncology, and Dr Abhijit Pawar, an orthopedics and advanced spine surgeon. 

 

"Our choice of doctors was informed by level of need in the country," said Komuhangi. 

The 2018 World Health Organization Non-communicable Diseases (NCD) Country Profiles indicate 33% of entire deaths in Uganda are linked to NCDs, while 13% are accident-related.

Of the NCDs related-deaths, 10% are due to cardio-vascular or heart disease and 9% to cancers.

The burden is not limited to adults.

At least 15,000 children born in Uganda annually present with heart problems, said Dr. Peter Lwabi, deputy director at the Uganda Heart Institute.

Mihir Vora, founder and Chief Executive Officer at the Magnus Medi, said the medical camp also targets to "serve patients who have been diagnosed with NCDs and are undergoing treatment but require a second expert opinion or information about affordable advanced treatment options in India."

For this, patients are requested to carry along their previous personal medical files for reference.

 

Komuhangi said significant bottlenecks including cost, access to technology and limited numbers of experts hindered early and accurate detection and treatment of NCDs in Uganda, much as the country had developed skills in management of a number of communicable diseases.

"Like in all other diseases, the chances of treatment and recovery rely on early and accurate diagnosis," she said.

A stage 3 cancer survivor herself, Komuhangi said most of the killer NCDs did not present any visible symptoms until it was too late, making regular testing the most effective chance of survival.

She said all consultations will be made by appointment and on first come first serve.

Patients can call 0772 220447 or 0312 311000 or email info@lememorial.org for booking.