Three Mombasa open heart surgery patients discharged

Three patients who underwent the first open-heart surgery at Coast General Hospital were Wednesday discharged from the facility.

It was a happy moment for Victor Ogara 15, Khadija Kavumbi, 22 and Ms Catherine Thaara, 41 who became the first beneficiaries of the of the successful open-heart surgery after Governor Hassan Joho and Mvita MP Abdullswamad Nassir paid their medical bills.

The patients were showered with gifts from Mombasa County government staff Wednesday as they left the hospital.

Mr Ogara, who is the youngest among the three, started battling rheumatic heart disease in 2005 while he was in Standard One.

“It even (interrupted) my schooling. I want to become a doctor to help those suffering from heart diseases. At first I was afraid but after counselling, I changed my mind,” said the Form Two student.

Ms Kavumbi, from Mariakani, said the disease forced her to drop out of school while in Standard Four.

However, her hopes have not diminished, and she hopes to pursue a course at a tertiary institution.

“All those seven years I was under medication but my life has changed,” she said.

Ms Thaara, a nursery school teacher in Mombasa County, said she has been battling heart disease for one year and seven months.

“I am happy that I have been discharged, I thank God,” she said.

HEART SPECIALIST

The hospital’s chief administrator, Dr Iqbal Khandwalla, said the patients were recovering well.

“It is yet another happy day for us because the patients are being discharged after the successful open-heart surgery.

"In fact the symptomatology they came with have improved drastically after operation. They have recovered in the intensive care unit, they are fit for discharge,” said Dr Khwandwalla.

He said the three are required to go back to the hospital in a week's time for review.

Mombasa Deputy Governor Hazel Katana said the county government would add more beds and equipment’s to make the operations and services safe and more successful.

“We will support our doctors. We congratulate them for a job well done, it was not a cheap operation,” said Ms Katana, who presided over the farewell ceremony at the ICU.

Dr Khandwalla said the heart clinic opens Mondays and patients will be screened and booked for the open-heart surgery.

“We are going to select the cases, screen and gather them to know whether they are suitable for surgery. Yesterday (Monday) the screening took place at Dr Sore’s clinic, patients should see him on Mondays,” he added.

A team of 12 heart specialists, led by Dr Sore Aseyo of Coast General Hospital and Dr James Munene of Kenyatta National Hospital, operated on the three on Tuesday and Wednesday last week.

Dr Aseyo, the lead cardiothoracic surgeon at the hospital, said the three were in good condition.

“I will review them again on Monday. The next project will be in four to six weeks’ time, we hope to do open heart surgery at that interval. Next time, we will do between five and 10 surgeries,” he said.

Dr Aseyo said the most common heart disease in the coast region is rheumatic heart disease.

“Countrywide, rheumatic heart disease, congenital heart disease and coronary heart disease are very common,” he said.