Three Nigerian Children Receive Life-Saving Heart Treatment in Howrah
Three young Nigerian children have successfully overcome serious congenital heart conditions after receiving specialized medical care at a hospital in Howrah. The children, who traveled from Nigeria with their parents, are now preparing to return home healthy and cured.
Critical Heart Conditions Treated Successfully
The three children - Enoma (3), Hamzat (8), and Kamsiyochukwu (3) - arrived at Narayana Hospital in Howrah approximately ten days ago. All three suffered from different but equally serious heart defects that required immediate medical attention.
Enoma and Hamzat both had Tetralogy of Fallot (ToF), a complex condition involving four distinct heart abnormalities. This condition often causes babies to develop a bluish skin tone due to insufficient oxygen in their blood. Doctors noted that both children had turned deep blue with dangerously low oxygen levels before treatment.
Kamsiyochukwu had a ventricular septal defect (VSD), commonly known as a hole in the heart. While still serious, this condition required a different approach to treatment.
Specialized Medical Procedures Save Lives
The medical team at Narayana Hospital performed surgical interventions for Enoma and Hamzat to correct their Tetralogy of Fallot. These complex procedures addressed the multiple structural problems affecting their hearts.
For Kamsiyochukwu, doctors used a non-surgical interventional device to successfully treat the ventricular septal defect. This minimally invasive approach avoided the need for open-heart surgery while effectively closing the hole in the child's heart.
All three children have now been discharged from the hospital after undergoing follow-up check-ups to ensure their complete recovery. Their parents expressed immense relief and gratitude for the successful treatments.
International Collaboration Makes Treatment Possible
The hospital responded to the children's needs because Nigeria lacks adequate pediatric heart care facilities. Before their physical arrival, the medical team conducted multiple rounds of online consultations and screenings with the children and their families.
A dedicated team of specialists performed the procedures about a week ago. The team included cardiac surgeons Debasis Das and Varsha Malladi, pediatric cardiologists Amitabha Chattopadhyay, Jayita Nandy Das, Rishika Mehta and Answesha Mukherjee, pediatric cardiac intensivist Shubhadeep Das, and cardiac anesthesiologists Manish Sharma and Shivani Gajpal.
Revived Medical Program Benefits Nigerian Children
Narayana Hospital initiated a special project in 2019 to treat Nigerian children with congenital heart defects. This program operated in collaboration with Rotary International and Rotary Club Belur. Approximately ten children received treatment through this initiative before the COVID-19 pandemic forced its suspension in 2020.
Dr. Das explained that travel restrictions and funding challenges had stalled the program for several years. "Before these three children, the last Nigerian child we operated on was in 2020," he stated.
The hospital now plans to train a cardiac surgeon from Nigeria in pediatric cardiac procedures. This training will occur at the Howrah facility and last approximately one year, potentially helping establish better cardiac care capabilities in Nigeria itself.
The successful treatment of these three children marks the revival of this important international medical collaboration, bringing hope to families in Nigeria who need specialized pediatric cardiac care that remains unavailable in their home country.
