Kampala, Uganda | THE INDEPENDENT | The Indian Association of Uganda has reserved slots for 100 children with heart complications to undergo free surgery in India.
It was revealed by Rao Mohana, the Chairperson of the Association while paying a courtesy call to the Deputy Speaker of Parliament Thomas Tayebwa on Friday. The Association decided to offer the free medical procedure to ailing but vulnerable children as the Indian Community in the country marks 100 years of existence in Uganda.
“We are doing 100 heart surgeries for Ugandan children in India of which 9 have so far been completed”, Mohana said.
According to the Uganda Heart Institute-UHI, the common heart complications in children in Uganda include Rheumatic Heart Disease, Coronary artery, and abnormal heartbeats. Persons with Coronary Arteries require a Coronary Artery Bypass Graft (CABG) procedure, in which the blocked portion of the coronary artery is bypassed with another piece of blood vessel.
In response, medical experts perform surgeries to repair or replace aortic separations and malfunctioning valves to correct unbalanced heartbeats such as atrial fibrillation to fix the genetic heart defects.
Mohana also revealed that the Association is organizing an African Business Meet in Uganda where investors from all 54 African countries along with ex-Ugandan Indians from UK, Canada together with Indian investors from India.
The symposium aims at attracting investors and introducing Uganda to the world as well as highlighting available investment opportunities. The opportunity will also create employment opportunities to the citizens and expand tax revenue for the government.
Mohana also presented a peace statue to the Deputy Speaker as a sign of brotherhood and good working relations that the Association enjoys with the August House. An estimated 27,000 Indians are living in Uganda.
In his remarks, Tayebwa applauded the Indians for their immense contribution towards saving mankind, and growth of Uganda’s economy, adding that the Indian Association is one of the largest tax payers since 1922. They collect at least 65% of Uganda tax revenue.
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