Life assurance provider, Kenya Orient, has invested Sh100,000 to support the Rotary District 9212 free paediatric heart project which aims to cater for tests and free heart surgery to repair heart defects for children born with Congenital Heart Defects (CHD). Rotary District 9212 is responsible for identifying the needy children in partnership with local cardiologists and health facilities as well as undertaking all diagnostic tests. The cost of these diagnostic tests is subsidised and District 9212 is also responsible for fundraising to cater for the subsidised costs.
“We continue to affirm our commitment to making everyone’s life, our priority,”said Kenya Orient Life Assurance general manager Jackson Muli. “We are confident that this is part of our service to the community we operate in and we will be making dreams of these needy children come true.”
Data from the Ministry of Health estimates that more than 200,000 children under the age of 18 in Kenya suffer from heart diseases. In addition, each year, over 10,000 babies are born with Congenital Heart Defects.
“Children in Sub-Saharan Africa face many kinds of heart defects and the cost of getting treatment for congenital heart defects is very expensive and out of reach for many children. With sponsors such as Kenya Orient Life Assurance, we are looking forward to achieving our objective of supporting 250 needy children this year,” said Rotary District 9212 Governor Alex Nyaga.
Rotary District 9212 comprises of Rotary Clubs from Kenya, Ethiopia, Eritrea and South Sudan. In conjunction with local health specialists and facilities, Rotary District 9212 has set up massive heart surgery clinics locally and is hosting heart specialists from India to offer the free heart surgery together with local specialists in partner facilities. These heart specialists are undertaking simple to the most complex surgeries, for free, for needy children.
