Case Studies
When hearts need special care
Thursday, 23 September 2010
Ursula de Carvalho Soares (left) and Flavia Lucilda Guterres are waiting for critical heart surgery, but lack air ticket funding. Photo © Basil Rolandsen (bouvetmedia.com)Ursula de Carvalho Soares and Flavia Lucilda Guterres are patients at Bairo Pite Clinic, waiting for heart surgery. As children, they had rheumatic fever which led to damage to the mitral valve in her heart, causing mitral stenosis leading to a congestive heart failure. They need urgent heart surgery - called balloon mitral valvulatomy, which will cure them and enable them to live a normal life.
As so often, the problem is funding their treatment. In this case, the expensive operations themselves are already sponsored, but getting money for air tickets turns out to be a problem. Dr Dan Murphy says Flavia, who got much worse last week, could die any time if not operated. Bairo Pite Clinic has admitted her and treats her, but as Dr Dan says, "We can't keep doing that for much longer".
Dr Dan tried to access funds the East Timor government has made available for sending patients abroad for treatment, but was denied support: "It appears the fund is reserved exclusively for the elite, and ordinary East Timorese are not eligible. Our application was rebuffed in no uncertain terms." Two young lives could easily be saved, utilising funds made available for this specific purpose. But that is not to be. Which is a great shame.
Bairo Pite Clinic have not given up on these two young girls. We will find a way. Let's hope that will happen before it is too late for one of them.
The Australian newspapers The Age and Sydney Morning Herald have taken interest in this story.
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