The most recent Kids First Fund beneficiary, Sudarshanie Laljie, has recently returned from her successful kidney transplant operation at the Batra Hospital & Medical Research Centre in New Delhi, India.
Laljie, now 23 years old, was diagnosed with kidney failure in September 2005. Needing dialysis at the cost $35,050 per session and working as a receptionist which earned her a meagre wage of $7,000 per week, she was in a position of grave adversity.
In a written submission to the media, Laljie stated: “I would like to say special thanks to Kids First Fund and the Ministry of Health, the business community, and my family and friends (in Guyana and Canada) for their financial and moral support.… The experience has changed and saved my life and I wish to thank everyone who helped to make this possible… I would like to encourage the business community to continue to give their assistance to others who are in need so that they can have a bright tomorrow like I have today.”
The kidney transplant operation cost US$30,000 which was realized from a combination of sources including the Ministry of Health which had paid for ten dialysis treatment sessions and assisted in meeting the cost of the operation; various charitable entities and the Kids First Fund.
Varshni Singh of the Kids First Fund at the interactive session with the media yesterday, provided information to the effect that there was a backlog of approximately 2,000 children on the Ministry of Health waiting lists, some of which have been there for years, because of very limited funding in this sector, lack of specialists, equipment and facilities.
Stabroek News was informed that since 2000, the government has injected in excess of $4 billion a year into the health sector, but when in order to access surgery, children and an accompanying adult have to be sent outside Guyana at great cost.
Singh provided literature to the effect that the Kids First Fund would also coordinate teams of doctors to come to Guyana, hold clinics for children and adults, perform surgery at no cost, train local doctors, lecture to medical practitioners, advise on community awareness/educational programmes and run eye-care programmes for children and provide glasses, medicines and surgery.
Kids First has organized clinics in the fields of neurosurgery, plastic surgery, neurology and cardiology. Over the past two years approximately 300 children have been evaluated by visiting cardiologists and had echocardiograms done.
In September 2005, the Kids First Heart 2 Heart Save a Life Appeal was launched, with four children having open heart surgery. So far, 46 children and 14 adults have benefited from the programme.
Yesterday the parents of Laljai, Bhagwandin and Rohini Laljie related their elation at the successful kidney transplant.
