Chronicle Editor
Sandisiwe Gumbo, Sunday News Reporter
BRAVE Little Hearts Zimbabwe has appealed to the Government for the inclusion of children with cardiac heart disease (CHD) into the national health structures to ensure they receive the care and support they need as a special needs group.
Ms Tendai Moyo (37), the founder and director of Brave Little Hearts said every year approximately 4 550 children are born with CHD in Zimbabwe.
“It is the most common birth defect and the most common cause of infant death from birth defects,” she said.
One of the major challenges faced by children born with CHD in Zimbabwe is the limited access to cardiac care.
Currently, there are only two paediatric cardiologists in the country, Dr Davidzo Murigo Shumba in Bulawayo and another in Harare, resulting in most complex cases being referred abroad for treatment.
That not only poses a significant financial burden on families but also hinders timely access to critical medical interventions.
“One of the doctors is semi-retired and only seeing patients in a private practice setting in Harare and the other one is based at Mpilo Hospital making it only one specialist in the Government institution versus the demand from patients. The overall result is that our children with heart disease are dying without appropriate cardiology or cardiac surgery care and we want to change that outcome for them,” Ms Moyo said.
It is estimated that 90 percent of children born with CHD in Zimbabwe do not have access to proper cardiac care, with nearly half of the children with CHD needing medical intervention in their lifetime and a quarter of them needing it in the first year of life in order to survive.
To help address these challenges, Brave Little Hearts has established collaborations with both the Ministry of Health and Child Care and various international hospitals.
The organisation is working closely with the Ministry of Health to create a comprehensive database of children born with CHD and those who require sponsors for their treatment.
According to the organisation, local hospitals lack the medical infrastructure to carry out these highly complex surgeries.
Brave Little Hearts Zimbabwe aims to be the leading voice in championing these children’s rights and bringing local sustainable solutions. Their initiative aims to improve cardiovascular disease management for children in Zimbabwe.
“We have two arms of Childhood Heart disease; the congenital meaning born with and the acquired Rheumatic which can be prevented through awareness and early detection whereas Congenital needs intervention is through medications or surgery.
“Medications are very expensive and inaccessible from local hospitals and clinics costing US$30 to US$50 monthly and many patients default as they cannot afford. We plead with the Government and organisations to lift this from patients,” said Ms Moyo.
Brave Little Hearts has identified two key phases of refurbishment to enhance cardiac care for children with CHD.
“Our Phase one is aimed at getting the Intermediate Care Unit (six beds) refurbished and equipped so that children with complications from Congenital Heart Disease (CHD) or acquired heart disease can be treated for heart failure, pneumonia or infective endocarditis. We are glad that this phase is 90 percent completed, however, with lack of essential equipment being the inhibiting factor. It is the First Paediatric Cardiac Care Unit in the Southern Region of Zimbabwe partnered by Halsted Masca and Gees Cillas Conference.
“Secondly, we have begun a database on all children evaluated by Dr Shumba from Mpilo Hospital which includes echocardiographic findings, chest X-ray results, laboratory results and interventions with medications. This is because there are no statistics or a Cardiovascular Disease Registry documenting this disease nationally. The disease is also notably not in the National Health Calendar and petition has been presented to the Parliament for friendly policies and recognition to the magnitude of the disease. The compulsory Oximeter testing for all infants has been called for The Equipment and medication, needed for awareness and inclusion into the National Health Strategy addressing the lack of infrastructure.”
Ms Moyo who founded the organisation in 2019 after tragically losing her own daughter to the disease mentioned that the diagnosis of the disease on her daughter was six months late, and her daughter passed on at 10 months at Mpilo Central Hospital.
She said many diseases have a registry while cardiac cases do not, and is advocating for a registry for the cardiovascular disease where there are demographics and prevalences and also lamented for inclusion into the national health strategy itself so as for the surgeries to be included when planning for the National Budget.
“We are pleading with our ministry to prioritise cardiac cases because we don’t want them prolonged in the waiting processes for funding of surgeries. Once they are diagnosed they need to be treated with speed as some die while awaiting funding for surgery which takes even three to six months for approval. At private institutions a scan is US$200 and the ordinary parent cannot afford.
“We are pleading with the organisations and the Government to provide machines not only at major hospitals but also at clinics, we want our medical officers to be well trained and be able to quickly diagnose and quickly refer. We pleaded for a specialised unit for these kids, and one was opened here at Mpilo after they supported our initiative.
“We also plead for a Compulsory Oximeter Testing policy for every new born baby,” Ms Moyo said.
Sithembile Dube expressed her personal challenges in caring for her 15-year-old daughter, Buhlebenkosi Dube who suffers from CHD and also happens to be both dumb and deaf.
She emphasised the difficulties faced by families in accessing appropriate medical care and expressed gratitude for organisations like BLH that strive to make a difference in the lives of these children.
“Buhle was born with this disease and it is really challenging. These children with CHD are very prone to catching any illness. One minute they are okay next minute it is another story. My daughter complains about the pain all the time. I am suffering from High Blood Pressure and when I feel the pain, I can’t help but imagine what my daughter feels. Life is tough as I am unemployed, I fail to even afford medication.
“When I get a job it’s even tougher to leave her with other people to look after her as no one will ever understand my daughter’s situation like I do. I, however, thank the Brave Little Hearts for helping us, at some point they assisted me with money for medication. It is my wish to get my daughter treated completely, it is my hope that the Government intervenes.”
Simiso Nyamazana also shared a testimony about her eight-year-old son who underwent successful surgery in India.
“My son had a successful operation in India a year ago in November. His operation took seven hours and the Lord intervened as it was successful. He is well now and was lucky to be able to have an operation as many of our kids end up dying due to failure to access medication and getting operated on time. We ask for intervention in terms of donors and save the lives of our little children,” she said.
On Saturday last week, a donation for children with CHD was held at Mpilo Central Hospital and was graced by Ms Tandeka Ncube, the Director of Tandis Events, an organisation which has also partnered Brave Little Hearts to raise awareness and support for heart diseases.
“There was a time I went to India for an operation of a family member, it is there that I met parents from Zimbabwe with children battling heart diseases. That is how I came to know that there is a problem this big in our country. People need to know how real this disease is and we really hope the Government puts these heart conditions on the map to raise awareness.”
Groceries were in the form of salt, sugar, rice, mazoe and soap.
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