Pediatric Surgeon calls for establishment of an esophageal atresia fund
Pediatric Surgeon at the Korle-Bu Teaching Hospital, Dr. Hope Glover-Addy, has called for establishment of a fund to support children with congenital abnormalities.
He wants the fund to be opened to the public so that everyone could access and make significant contributions to help reduce the cost of surgery for children with esophageal atresia and related birth defects.
Esophageal atresia (EA) is a rare birth defect in which a baby is born without part of the esophagus (the tube that connects the mouth to the stomach).
Children with esophageal atresia may have several other challenges, including tracheomalacia (a floppy airway), gastroesophageal reflux and/or esophageal motility issues, all of which are managed in the long term.
Treatment for esophageal atresia is ostensibly expensive globally as it involves surgery and long term management of the condition.
Dr. Glover-Addy made the call when speaking with Onua News after successfully conducting a surgery for a 4-year-old Jessy Kudodzi who was born with esophageal atresia.
Jessy Kudodzi had successfully gone through the birth defect surgery at Rebeca Akufo-Addo’s Pediatric Intensive Care Unit in Korle-Bu Teaching Hospital after the parents through Onua TV were able to raise funds for the surgical procedure.
The Pediatric Surgeon reacting to the amount parents have to pay for congenital abnormalities surgical procedure underscored the need for the establishment of an esophageal atresia fund.
He maintained that the government alone cannot bear the cost for these birth defect surgical treatments hence the need for a common fund so that the public could contribute daily.
“I think society has a duty to provide funds that are available for children with congenital abnormalities because if you go to big children’s hospitals elsewhere, most of the patients who are operated on don’t pay money”.
So, society should look at it from that perspective that institutions that do this procedure need to be funded; it should not be the government’s work alone, he stressed.
He believes pastors that are seen with children with birth defects on the street soliciting for funds for the surgical procedures are doing a good job, but they need to be checked and properly aligned by stakeholders.
Story by Maxwell Otoo/ Onua FM/ 3news.com
