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The people of Busoga have praised heart specialists for successfully performing cardiac surgeries on 11 children during a five-day event at Jinja Regional Referral Hospital (JRRH), in collaboration with the Uganda Heart Institute (UHI). Dr. Charles David Mukisa commended the professionals for their dedication and excellence.

LIKE an unknown author has written that “…save one, you are a hero, save a hundred lives, you are a nurse…” the people of Busoga have saluted heart experts for successfully conducting a five-day cardiac surgery on 11 children from the region.

This after Jinja Regional Referral Hospital (JRRH) in conjunction with Uganda Heart Institute (UHI), a specialized, public, tertiary care medical facility owned by the Ministry of Health conducted a landmark five-day cardiac surgery at the Jinja Hospital.

Speaking during a news conference, the JRRH chairman Management Board, Dr Charles David Mukisa referred to the highly trained cardiologists and other specialists as ‘heart generals’ who deserve not only a standing ovation but a salute.

“…without any doubt, as people of Busoga we take this opportunity to salute you for the highest sense of professionalism, dedication, team spirit and humility that led you to bring back hope to these innocent souls…”, Dr Charles David Mukisa, whose areas of specialty lies in pharmaceuticals and natural medicines commended.

He said the successful cardiac surgery has finally exonerated the Ministry of Health over the land that some Muslims wanted to hijack from JRRH which had long planned for its expansion programmes.

Dr Charles David Mukisa also used the conference to announce that they have a master plan for the regional hospital which captures specialized facilities like the regional blood bank, doctors’ mess, regional heart institute, regional dialysis unit, oxygen plant, and the waste management plant, among others.

The Executive Director Uganda Heart Institute Dr John Odiri Ogund Omagino who was beaming with joy made a passionate appeal to stakeholders including Busoga Kingdom, the various religious leaders, the civil society organizations and development partners to join hands in supporting and sustaining the numerous health success stories registered in the region.

Flanked by a team of specialists described as ‘crème de la creme of health’, Dr John Odiri Ogund Omagino said plans are underway by the Ministry of Health to upgrade all the 16 regional hospitals to be able to handle cardiovascular surgeries.

Tagging his address on the mission of UHI as a centre of global excellence in cardiovascular services, the joyous Executive Director announced some recommendations to the management of JRRH.

Top on the list is the creation of a separate operating theatre inside the recently installed and upgraded Intensive Care Unit (ICU) for the safety of the patients who undergo sensitive and fragile surgeries.

Saying Jinja RRH is now a teaching hospital since a city like Jinja and others globally must be in a position to serve as a ‘supermarket’ of everything like quality social services including health.

Currently,JRRH has only one operating theatre where all sorts of surgeries are done and is about 15 metres to the ICU where the safety of patients can easily be compromised due to a number of factors.

He also asked the leadership in the region to lobby the government to deploy more specialized staff to JRRH who have the expertise in critical care areas, saying the staff ceiling is below the recommended standard.

With Uganda’s population threatening 50million in the next few years, in which 1.6 million babies are born with congenital heart complications, Dr John Odiri Ogund Omagino stressed the need for capacity building to cope with the corresponding challenges.

On a positive note, he dropped the good news that there is no more need to travel outside to India and other foreign countries in the name of seeking heart treatment because UHI has the capacity and competence.

The JRRH Director Dr Alfred Yayi in his speech gave the background on activities that climaxed to the camp, which is only the second outside Kampala to Mbarara Regional Referral Hospital last year.

He said four preparatory meetings were held between Jinja RRH and UHI officials to mobilize and prepare the required resources like theatre space and equipment, medicines and health supplies, Intensive Care Unit and its equipment and human resource, among others.

“…a total of 11 patients(5 males and 6 females) in the age range of seven months to five years were screened and prepared by the Jinja Paediatric Cardiologist Dr Emmanuel Tenywa…”,the soft speaking Dr Alfred Yayi said.

He added the patients are residents from different districts like Bugiri, Kamuli, Mayuge, Bugweri, and Jinja while others came from Buikwe, Mukono and Wakiso.

Dr Alfred Yayi also echoed similar concerns raised by the UHI boss on the need to both the Ministries of Health and Public Service to consider the question of additional equipment, human resource especially for the ICU and required medicines and health supplies.

Other experts who were part of the 40 personnel included Dr Muhoozi Rwakaryebe (a Consultant Pediatrics Vascular and Thoracic surgeon),Dr Michael Charles Oketcho(a Senior Consultant Cardiothoracic Surgeon), Anna Noland Oketayot (Principal Nursing Officer who doubles as head, Nursing Division UHI),alongside intensivists,anesthesiologists and others.