The beneficiary, Sumaya Junaid, and her father.

BY EMMANUEL ELEBEKE

Recently, a new set of beneficiaries in the ongoing MTN foundation health intervention scheme arrived from India, after a successful heart surgery of holes -in -the- heart. The operations were performed at Wockhardt in Nagpur, India. At arrival Hi-Tech cornered, the father of one of the victims, a five year old baby, Sumaya Junaidu, and he revealed the agony and rigorous journey his daughter went through for survival.

From the introductions, you must be the father of Sumaya?

Yes, my name is Junaid Tajudeen. I am from Plateau state, a civil servant.

My daughter is Sumaya Junaidu. Sumaya is the third of my four children. My wife is a teacher and welive in Abuja. Sumaya is five and a half years old and in primary one.

Can you let us into the story of Sumaya’s travails, especially when you started to notice something was wrong with her?

Two weeks after Sumaya was born in the Military hospital, Yaba Lagos, she became ill and we had to take her back to the hospital. They carried out series of tests and nothing could be diagnosed, so we took her back home. After another 3 weeks, she broke down again and we took her back to the hospital and another series of tests were conducted. Yet, again nothing could be diagnosed and we took her back home and kept managing the illness over a long period of time. Later when we again took her back to military hospital, we were referred to LUTH and asked to do an ECHO test for her. There, a certain Dr. Okoronma conducted the tests and diagnosed her with having a hole in her heart.

How old was she when she was diagnosed with a hole in the heart?

About 6 months. The doctor said we should continue having the tests that perhaps, she may not necessarily need surgery, and that it may be something that could be managed with drugs. But as time went on, we were finally told that the way to correct the defect was through surgery. I was sad because, I knew I didn’t have the kind of money that was required; about N3 million.

All through that period, she was always sick and we kept taking her to the hospital for the condition to be managed.

I later met a friend of mine who told me about the Kanu Heart Foundation and that I should go there for assistance. He took me to the Foundation and I told them the problem I was having. They asked several questions and asked me to register with the Foundation with the sum of N10,000 and then give them the names of my state governor and the chairman of my local government after which they would write them, asking for financial assistance. meanwhile, they told me that even if the governor or the local government chairman sent in any contributions, my case would not be automatic because a lot of people were before me so I would be on queue and wait for my turn. I went back to LUTH and explained all to the doctor who advised me to use the N10,000 instead to open an account and solicit for help from well meaning Nigerians. He also advised me to collect a medical report on my daughter’s condition.

I began to tell people, my challenges and to solicit for help. I got a lot of sympathy but nothing more. I then went back to the doctor to tell him of my progress and he said Lagos State was also helping children with the hole in the heart condition. I then went to Alausa and applied for medical assistance. The application went through all the necessary desks for approval until I was told that my daughters file was with the Commissioner for Health but after that, the file remained there and refused to come out.

That was when I learnt of the MTN Foundation and what they were doing for children with such cases. I approached them and was told we needed to write an application for medical assistance and address it to the Foundation. I did this and after about a month, I was called to say it had been approved. They also said I should get my passport and my daughter’s own ready. This was around August 2010, five years after Sumaya’s birth. We made the trip in February this year.

How would you describe the process in India?.

As soon as we got to India, we were taken straight to the hospital and a new set of tests began immediately to confirm if she needed surgery or just drugs. After all the tests, they did what they call catheterization and the following day, the doctor told me that the operation would take place on February 25th, around 7.30pm Indian time. When it was time, I couldn’t sleep because I was terribly nervous and I was full of emotions because I didn’t know what the outcome was going to be. I could not sit down, I kept pacing about and even the food I was given, I couldn’t eat. I signed a consent form and my daughter was wheeled into the theater.

Compare your experience over there with what is obtainable here in Nigeria. What is your assessment?

Let me first of all show my appreciation to the MTN Foundation. I am very grateful because I almost gave up hope before they came to my rescue. I think this country can be at par with India because we have the resources and the manpower. God has given us so much and we can make this country greater but I think our problem is leadership.

When I got to India, I couldn’t believe it, their population is almost twice our own and yet they have gone far in medical breakthroughs. I pray this coming dispensation will give us leaders that will help us to develop and progress. This kind of treatment which we got is something we can have in Nigeria here. It baffles me because our leaders also travel out and see these things for themselves, yet they are selfish. They can afford to send members of their families abroad, yet they don’t bother about the poor masses and the down trodden . The hospital’s facilities are totally computerized and they only do very few things manually. Even the room which I was in, had a computer with internet facility and it was so big and it was just for me and my daughter. You can browse the internet for anything except the social networking sites. We really need to step up our game in this country and improve our hospital facilities and make it affordable.

After spending about an hour in the Recovery Room, were you able to see her?

Yes, by the time they wanted to move her to the ICU, she was awake and was struggling to remove the tubes in her. She also didn’t want the oxygen mask and kept crying until it was removed and then she relaxed a bit and didn’t bother about the other tubes. After sometime, she kept crying for a drink of water but the doctors say she couldn’t drink water but her lips were made wet constantly with the help of a plastic straw every 5 minutes. After four hours, she was allowed to drink water and her healing process was quite fast as you can see now. She can eat anything and she has been very playful and happy.No, this surgery is permanent and lasting. We were only given a list of food and dietary supplements that she should take and the ones she should avoid. She is 100% okay now.

Since the surgery, how has it been?

During the time of the surgery, I was on the fourth floor waiting for them because the theater was on the sixth floor. I expected the doctor to come out and give me the worst news and when he came out, I stood up still very nervous but the doctor calmed my fears and said the operation was successful but that Sumaya lost a lot of blood during surgery and was now in the recovery room after which they would transfer her to the ICU in another one hour. After hearing the doctor, I felt a bit better and I said THANK GOD!