Wednesday April 26, 2023
11-month old infant girl along with her parents and doctor at Medicover Hospital. Telanga Today
Mogadishu (HOL) - An 11-month-old Somali girl, Mustalfo Abdirisak Ahmed, recently underwent a minimally invasive Ventricular Septal Defect (VSD) device closure procedure at Medicover Hospitals in Hyderabad, India. Pediatric cardiologists at the Hyderabad-based hospital announced the successful treatment of the infant, who was suffering from a congenital heart defect.
In Somalia, a nation recovering from decades of violence and a struggling healthcare system, doctors initially advised Mustalfo's parents that their daughter needed to undergo open-heart surgery. However, her family sought an alternative solution. Dr. Ashish Sapre, the Interventional Pediatric Cardiologist who led the procedure, explained that the VSD closure offered a less invasive alternative to open-heart surgery.
“The baby was suffering from a hole in the heart known as VSD, a congenital heart condition. After multiple sessions and exhaustive counselling, the parents were convinced of catheter intervention."
The procedure went smoothly, and Mustalfo, who weighed just 7 kg, was discharged the following day. She showed significant improvement within a week and is now walking independently.