The Children’s Cardiac Foundation of Africa (TCCFA), which since 2019 has been offering lifesaving procedures to South African and African children suffering from congenital heart disease, has reached a monumental milestone.
The foundation has now successfully performed its 100th lifesaving surgery, marking a significant achievement in its mission to alleviate the burden of paediatric cardiac conditions in Africa.
Recent surgeries made possible by a generous anonymous donation of R1m to the Angel Network were performed on two young patients: 19-month-old Keziah Pillay; and 15-month-old Nkanyezi Khanye – the 100th young patient.
IOL reports that the two children were selected by the TCCFA, a non-profit organisation operating out of the Lenmed eThekwini Hospital and Heart Centre in close collaboration with Inkosi Albert Luthuli Hospital.
The surgeries, performed by Dr Darshan Reddy, a distinguished cardiothoracic surgeon specialising in paediatric cardiac surgery, and Dr Himal Dama, a leading paediatric cardiologist, were critical in preventing the development of heart failure in these children as they grow older.
“They would both have developed heart failure in their late teenage years or early adulthood if their heart defects had not been corrected,” said Dama.
Currently, more than 500 KZN children with congenital heart defects are on a waiting list for surgery at Inkosi Albert Luthuli Hospital, contributing to a national backlog of more than 3 000 patients.
“The foundation has now completed 100 successful operations since inception … and while it’s wonderful to reach this milestone, we also hope to get more donors on board so we can save more lives. It all depends on the funding which we so desperately need,” Dama said.
Prakash Devchand, CCFA trustee and chairperson of Lenmed, a group of private hospitals operating in four African countries, highlighted the significance of the 100th surgery milestone.
“This is a testament to the dedication and expertise of the doctors and nurses at Lenmed eThekwini Hospital and Heart Centre, where the TCCFA operates. The facility is unique, with a multi-disciplinary 14-member team representing 10 paediatric subdisciplines, perhaps the only private facility in South Africa to have this many paediatric subdisciplines,” Devchand said.
The Children’s Cardiac Foundation is the brainchild of Professor Rob Kinsley, an internationally renowned cardiothoracic surgeon. His vision for TCCFA has always been clear: to save lives and improve the health of children born with congenital heart disease throughout Africa.
This is achieved by raising funds for heart surgeries and training specialists and support staff in paediatric cardiac care.
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