Bad Throat is a Killing Disease

Dr.Sulafa Ali - pioneer in treating children’s heart diseases in Sudan requested the media to announce ‘Bad Throat is a Killing Disease’. This is to create awareness about children’s heart diseases. A bad throat may lead to rheumatic fever. Untreated and recurrent rheumatic fever leads to rheumatic heart disease which can cause permanent damage to the heart valves. This disease, she said, affects ten out of 1000 children in Sudan.

Dr.Sulafa was speaking at a ‘Walkathon’ on 24^th April at the International Park in Khartoum where more than 400 people including school children participated.

The event ‘for our children’ was organized by Sudanese Indian Friendship Association (SIFA), Embassy of India and MIOT hospital of India.

Dr.Sulafa praised the commitment and professional skills of MIOT hospital and has been collaborating with them for the past 4 years. In the last few days Dr.Sangeetha Vishwanathan, Interventional Paediatric Cardiologist of MIOT hospital worked with Dr.Sulafa and screened 600 patients for children’s heart diseases.

Dr. Prithvi Mohandas, Jt.Managing Director of MIOT hospital with 1000 beds, said that Sudan could reproduce their model of treating poor patients. MIOT hospital has high end treatment for overseas and rich Indian patients and thus provides subsidized treatment fees for poor patients. This requires high end machineries and excellent doctors. Dr.Prithvi said that Sudan with its highly qualified doctors can become the best healthcare destination in Africa and MIOT is willing to collaborate to fulfill this dream.

Ambassador of India Sanjay K. Verma asked the participants to pledge to spread the awareness against children’s congenital heart disease so that doctors can nip in the bud and prevent it from becoming a killer disease.

Presidential Assistant Abdulrahman Al Sadig Al Mahdi shared with the audience that medical research says that walking is very good for the heart and one who walks for 20 minutes every morning has a healthy heart. He added that students who walk to school are more fit than students who commute by transport. He thanked MIOT hospital, SIFA and the Ambassador of India for organizing such a healthy event for our children.

Other dignitaries who participated in the Walkathon and thanked the organizers were Kamal Hassan Ali State Minister of Social Welfare, Ustaz Abdel Basit Abdel Majid and Dr.Anil Mithani President Omdurman Indian Community. Finally, Yousrie Burai President of Sudanese Indian Friendship Association thanked one and all who participated to make the purposeful ‘Walkathon’ a success.