• News
  • Sport
  • TV
  • Radio
  • Education
  • TV Licences
  • Contact Us
  • SOUTH AFRICA
  • POLITICS
  • BUSINESS
  • SPORT
  • AFRICA
  • WORLD
  • FEATURES
  • OPINION
No Result
View All Result
1
Home Sci-tech

Demand for treatment for congenital heart disease on the rise

23 September 2022, 3:04 PM  |
SABC SABC |  @SABCNews
A cardio-thoracic surgeon says 11 000 children in South Africa alone are born with congenital heart disease.

A cardio-thoracic surgeon says 11 000 children in South Africa alone are born with congenital heart disease.

Image: SABC News

A cardio-thoracic surgeon says 11 000 children in South Africa alone are born with congenital heart disease.

The demand for treatment for congenital heart disease is on the rise in South Africa. More than 500 children are awaiting medical attention just at the provincial hospital in Gqeberha.

However, there is hope for their plight as the Pelo Foundation is working around the clock to raise awareness around the plight of the children on the waiting list and get them in theatres.

The foundation was established in June 2021 and has thus far, with the help of their partners, facilitated 11 surgeries already.

Parents of children who have already received treatment are happy to have their children back.

The foundation’s aim is to restore hope.

The children faced a potentially fatal condition, but now they are free of this constraint. This is a huge relief felt by the parents and families of these youths.

Initiative to raise funds for children with congenital heart disease

However, the waiting list to achieve this feeling is getting longer and longer.

The surgery is a scary process for young patients.

However, they say they are relieved to have energy again.

“Before the surgery, I was getting tired and I wasn’t feeling good. It was really not a nice feeling to get tired all the time,” says one of the young patients.

“I’m feeling better now but before surgery, I was feeling very scared, explain one of the children’s beneficiaries,” says another patient.

Manager at the Pelo Foundation Dudu Mvimbi Leshabane says that they are expanding their network and are fully aware of the long road ahead.

“Out of these 500 and more kids, we were able to assist at least 11. The last one is coming out of surgery today and he is well. He will be able to fly back home,” explains Leshabane.

Statistical data indicates that more than 90% of children born with congenital abnormalities in 2010 lived in rural areas. But even more sombre is that up to 20% of children with the abnormalities will not grow old without medical intervention.

Share article
Tags: Congenital Heart DiseaseGqeberha Provincial Hospital
Previous Post

Myanmar beauty queen in Thai airport limbo, fears arrest at home

Next Post

Cameroon beaten by Uzbekistan in World Cup warm-up

Related Posts

New born baby in hospital.

South Africa sees alarming spike in Fetal Alcohol Disorder rate

11 September 2023, 8:25 AM
Prof Bruce Mellado, chair of the local organising committee interacts with media ahead of the TIPP conference. The event brings together specialists from around the world to share best practice on Technology in Instrumentation and Particle Physics.

TIPP conference in Cape Town focusses on technological advancements

5 September 2023, 12:00 PM
FILE PHOTO - An internet cable is seen at a server room in this picture illustration taken in Warsaw January 24, 2012. REUTERS/Kacper Pempel

INFOGRAPHIC: All you need to know about the SA undersea broken internet cables

18 August 2023, 7:21 PM
Logo of SiyaTutor, an AI-driven WhatsApp-based tutor chatbot designed to assist school learners in their educational journey.

WhatsApp combines AI in SiyaTutor for personalised learning

13 August 2023, 1:31 PM
FILE PHOTO: Twitter logo and a photo of Elon Musk are displayed through magnifier in this illustration taken October 27, 2022.

Elon Musk says Twitter’s blue bird to be replaced by an X

24 July 2023, 9:28 AM
Meta's Threads app and Twitter logos are seen in this illustration taken July 4, 2023.

Zuckerberg-Musk fights first round: Meta launches ‘Twitter Killer’ Threads app

6 July 2023, 7:29 AM
Next Post
Cameroon players during a match.

Cameroon beaten by Uzbekistan in World Cup warm-up

Most Viewed

  • 24hrs
  • Week
  • Month
  • Concern over exclusion of foreign nationals from Road Accident Fund
  • Cashless taxi service launched in Cape Town
  • Visitors planning to visit the Overberg region urged to postpone their trips
  • ANC building up in flames in Port St Johns
  • Western Cape on high alert following severe storm warning
  • High waves and rough water conditions force beach closures in the Western Cape
  • Prince Mangosuthu Buthelezi to rest in the town he built and nurtured
  • NSPCA files criminal case against Julius Malema for alleged animal cruelty
  • Snow, heavy rainfall expected in parts of KZN: SAWS
  • Cold-front sweeps across SA bringing snow and chilly temperatures
  • Several roads closed in the Western Cape amid flooding
  • Residents resort to illegal water connections at Mpumalanga village
  • Six beaches in Durban flagged with high levels of E.coli
  • PODCAST | Consumers warned of expected poultry price hike
  • Zoleka’s passing on eve of Winnie Mandela’s birthday

LATEST

Logo of the 9th BRICS Parliamentary Forum ahead of a media briefing in this image captured on 26 September 2023.
  • Politics

BRICS Parliamentary Forum aims to foster stronger ties among member states


Inside a Magistrates' Court
  • South Africa

Trial of nine accused in university of Fort Hare murder case resumes


  • South Africa

Eskom to prioritise electricity restoration in flood-ravaged Western and Eastern Cape


Flooding in the Western Cape following heavy rains.
  • South Africa

Rescue efforts to resume on Wednesday for learners trapped at Oudtshoorn resort


The NMB metro
  • Politics

DA wants special inquiry into state capture in Nelson Mandela Bay


Actress Viola Davis at an event
  • Africa

Actress Viola Davis to join US African diaspora council


Weather

  • About the SABC
  • Contact Us
  • Jobs
  • Advertise
  • Disclaimer
  • Site Map

SABC © 2023

No Result
View All Result
  • SOUTH AFRICA
  • POLITICS
  • BUSINESS
  • SPORT
  • AFRICA
  • WORLD
  • FEATURES
  • OPINION

© 2023

Previous Myanmar beauty queen in Thai airport limbo, fears arrest at home
Next Cameroon beaten by Uzbekistan in World Cup warm-up