A 20-month-old baby girl from southwestern Uganda is fighting for her life after doctors diagnosed her with an enlarged heart that requires urgent open-heart surgery costing Shs18 million.
Malaika Ainamani, the only child of Ms Jane Mbabazi, a peasant from Kigongi Cell in Kabale Town, was born healthy but later developed persistent breathing difficulties that have worsened over time.
‘Daughter was born normal but shortly after, she developed breathing complications and would cry all the time,’ Ms Mbabazi told Monitor.
‘In August this year I took her to Kabale Regional Referral Hospital where I spent about two weeks before laboratory tests showed that she had an enlarged heart and they referred me to Mbarara Regional Referral Hospital for further tests that indicated that she had holes in the heart and they referred me to the Uganda Heart Institute where a cardiac echo report was obtained recommending for heart surgery,’ she explained on Tuesday.
Doctors at the Uganda Heart Institute in Kampala confirmed that Ainamani’s condition can only be corrected through open-heart surgery – a procedure her mother cannot afford.
‘The experts at the Heart Institute asked me to pay Shs18 million for the heart operation which I could not raise,’ Ms Mbabazi said.
She added: ‘I returned to Kabale to seek financial support from well-wishers, but up to now I have not raised the required amount.’
The single mother said she has been overwhelmed by hospital bills and transport costs incurred during the months-long journey between Kabale District, Mbarara City, and Kampala.
Health workers familiar with the case said congenital heart defects are increasingly being detected among infants in Uganda, but most families struggle to meet the high cost of surgery.
A single operation at the Uganda Heart Institute can cost between Shs15 million and Shs25 million, depending on complexity, forcing many low-income parents to appeal publicly for help.
For Ms Mbabazi, the financial hurdle has been devastating.
‘I appeal to the members of the public and well-wishers to help me to raise the required amount of money so as to save the life of her daughter,’ she said.
Her mobile contact, registered in the name of Ruth Orishaba, is 0747600327 for those willing to assist.
According to health experts, untreated heart defects in infants can lead to severe complications including heart failure and delayed growth.
While Uganda has improved capacity for cardiac surgery in recent years, the services remain largely unaffordable for rural families.
As Ms Mbabazi continues to seek help, Ainamani’s condition remains critical.
The toddler’s frail frame and constant shortness of breath have confined her to her mother’s arms as they await a miracle, and the generosity of strangers.