Hundreds of children on heart surgery waiting list

Guyana currently has a waiting list of a few hundred children who are in dire need of heart surgery. And although some of these children have survived infancy, there have been others who die within the first three to nine months of life.
However, 60 per cent of those who survive the first year of life often go on to have chronic diseases which ultimately threaten their existence. The foregoing information was highlighted on Thursday during a press conference in the boardroom of the Georgetown Public Hospital Corporation GPHC. The press conference was in fact intended to highlight plans between the public hospital and the International Children’s Heart Foundation (also known as the Baby Heart Foundation) in Memphis, Tennessee, United States, to offer paediatric heart surgery here at no cost to patients.
Speaking at the press conference Founder and Medical Director of the Charitable Organisation, Dr William Novick, said that Guyana was targeted for the strategic support since there is a recognised need for cardiac care for children. And although there are some shortcomings in terms of the surgical facility at the GPHC, Dr Novick said that the Foundation is prepared to donate needful equipment and make some necessary re-arrangement.
The surgeries are expected to start next year for the many children on the existing waiting list. However, Dr Novick noted that there are probably between 50 and 70 children born every year who will need heart surgery before their 18th birthday in order to survive.
The Medical Director anticipated that the programme with the public hospital, once in place will cater to the operation of 100 – 125 children per year.
The operations will be undertaken even as moves are made to train local personnel to eventually take up the reigns of the programme. “In principle we have agreed to start a programme in Georgetown next year…Our plan would be to come at least twice a year to operate on children,” said Dr Novick.
The heart operations will initially be undertaken by a voluntary team from the Foundation, and according to Dr Novick, each operation would attract a cost of about US$2,500.
And while there is expected to be no cost to patients, Dr Novick noted that the Ministry of Health is likely to face limited expense in terms of supplies, such as medicines, that are necessary to perform paediatric heart surgery.
This, he noted, is in light of the fact that Guyana has not been providing the crucial operation to young patients over the years.
“When you look at cost as a total component…there are some important components that you may not actually have at the hospital right now,” said Dr Novick.
He said that among the necessities for the operation is a cardio-pulmonary bypass machine.  This machine, he explained, is necessary since during operation it is required that the patient’s heart be stopped. And since the heart must be stopped, the machine must therefore function in its place in order to ensure that the patient does not die.
Another aspect of the expenditure to set up a sustained paediatric programme here will be the training of personnel to operate the machine.
Dr Novick said that getting all the necessary measures in place for Guyana to manage its own programme could take as long as one decade.