Brave Little Hearts urge government to include treatment of Congenital heart diseases in the National Budget

By Andile Mvundla

Brave little Hearts in Zimbabwe, an organisation respresenting the interests of children with Congenital Heart diseases (CHD) has stepped in to challenge the government to include treatment of non-communicable diseases in the drawing of national budget.

This came as a result of lack of support and proper funding that has seen many parents and guardians as well as other health institutions face difficulties in accessing funds and medication needed for the treatment of congenital heart conditions.

Speaking to SkyzMetro FM, Brave little hearts director, Miss Tendai Moyo said that parents are facing difficulties in getting treatment done in time for their children due to lack of funds and access to medication.

“There is need for the government, organisations and other willing partners to provide support in terms of funds for the families and children suffering from CHDs while the ministry of health and childcare to has to ensure that there are health facilities which provide free access to medication for heart patients,” said Moyo.

Meanwhile Pedriatic Cardiologist Dr. Davidzo Murigo-Shumba, said that the country has the experts to conduct heart operations and treatment of heart related conditions but the health sector still lacks proper facilities to conduct treatment.

“We have a couple of Peadiatric surgeons who are ready to provide their services at any time but there are no proper laboratories such as a special theatre called a cardiac catheterisation laboratory. This is where they fix the problem without opening the chest, we call it minimal invasive. The problem is fixed through some blood vessels and currently in Zimbabwe we have open heart surgery which the doctors managed to conduct on some adult patients last year and our hope is that we get to do open heart surgery in pediatric cases and reach out to a large number of children who need help,” added Dr Murigo-Shumba.

Commenting also to SkyzMetro FM, Parents who have children diagonised with Congenital Heart conditions said that it has been a growing problem, the issue of accessing medication for the treatment of their children,with the govenment said to be paying little or to no attention at all in providing proper resources for treatment of Congenital heart diseases.

The International Congenital Heart defect day commemorations are set for today, the 14th of February as the world aims to promote awareness and also provide education about congenital heart defects.