The Sunday News
Hazel Marimbiza, Sunday News Correspondent
For a Harare woman the immeasurable joy of being pregnant turned into a nightmare just six months into the pregnancy.
During one of her pregnancy scans at Harare Central Hospital Sakina Mukandawire (44), was horrified when doctors told her that the foetus had a congenital heart defect.
This meant the foetus had a hole in the heart which was almost one centimeter long so after birth the baby had to be operated. But three months after she gave birth an ultrasound scan conducted by one doctor stated that the baby was no longer eligible to undergo the operation.
According the baby’s medical reports the scan revealed that hole was too big and if the operation was to be conducted the baby would die.
Mukandawire felt helpless because it seemed there was no solution to her child’s heart condition.
“When I asked the doctor if there were any other possible solutions he told me there was none and said I should just take the baby and go home and wait for God’s decision pertaining the issue,” said Mukandiwire .
But Mukandawire did not give up. She tried consulting with a different doctor and the doctor recently told her it’s possible for her now nine-month- old baby to be operated but the operation has to be done soon in India before the baby’s heart changes it’s form.
But now she is facing challenges because she does not have the money for her baby to be urgently operated in India.
According to a medical record sent by Indian doctors the baby will need to complete an AV Canal repair surgery.
Mukandawire and her baby are supposed to stay 10 days in India. The approximate cost for evaluation is US$300 and approximate cost for surgery is US$8 000-US$8 500.
“My husband and I are in a difficult situation because we do not work so we do not have any money for the baby to be operated. We are kindly asking for well-wishers to help us so that our baby can beoperated,” said Mukandawire.
