Five-year old Mustapha Ramanda
Hammed is dying gradually he needs just
N3.5million to urgently carry out a
surgery to correct an abnormality in his
heart, writes Seyi Nathaniel
Five –year old Mustapha Ramadan
Hammed is lying critically ill at the
children’s ward of the Lagos University
Teaching Hospital (LUTH), Idi-Araba,
Lagos. Little Mustapha has been off and
on in that hospital in the last few months
until two weeks ago when he was
confined to a bed and placed on oxygen,
pending when his parents will be able to
raise about N3.5 million for an open
heart surgery overseas to correct an
abnormality in his heart.
But the parents say they have no such
money and little Mustapha may well be
left to die, if there is no help coming from
Nigerians. A summary of his medical
report dated August 20, 2013, and signed
by Dr. E.N. Ekure, Consultant
Paediatrician said : “The above named five
year-old male is a known patient of the
Paediatric Cardiology Unit of the Lagos
University Teaching Hospital, Idi-Araba.
“Clinical evaluation indicated that Hameed
has symptomatic congenital heart
disease, which was confirmed by
echocardiography to be Muscular
Ventricular Septal defect with
Esienmenger Syndrome. Hameed requires
further cardiovascular evaluation and
possible open heart surgery to correct his
abnormality in order to forestall
irreversible and life-threatening
complications from developing.
Unfortunately, open heart surgery for
children is currently not available in our
hospital.
“This letter, therefore, serves as an
introduction of the patient for any
assistance that will facilitate surgical
intervention at a centre with facilities for
such surgery,” the doctor said.
Mustapha’s woes do not end with the
heart problem alone, at the age of five,
he is unable to walk well or stand for
long, his hearing and talking abilities are
impaired and his scrotum is swollen and
enlarged, all cases, though associated
with the heart troubles, that would
require separate medical attention that
have all been worked out to cost that
sum.
His father, Musiliu Hammed, a 42-year
old petty trader and the mother, Falitalu
Hammed, a 36-year old house wife, have
sold off all they had to raise funds for his
treatment from hospital to hospital since
he was born until his recent proper
diagnosis by LUTH.
Fortis Hospitals, Mulund, Mumbai, India,
contacted to carry out the surgery had
through Dr. Sachin Bhonsie, senior
consultant orthopaedic surgeon, puts the
cost minus the flight tickets, feeding,
transportation within India,
accommodation and post surgery
treatment at $10, 000. All other variables,
including the treatment of his other
ailments factored in put the total sum
required to make the journey to India and
completely treat baby Mustapha of the
ailments at $20, 000.00, about N3.5
million.
Hammed, Mustapha’s father is giving up
hope on him, clear that he could never
raise the money. “Where will I get that
sort of money? We have lost everything
we had over this boy’s sickness, we can
hardly feed, we have stopped our other
two kids from going to school because we
could not cope with having them in
school and put up with this boy’s
treatment as we have done these past five
years, we can’t continue anymore because
there is no way we can get that sort of
money for the surgery overseas.
“We have been in this battle to save his
life since he was three months, giving
birth to him was something the mother
miraculously survived, after several days
in labour without being able to have him
normally, she underwent a cesarean
section, in fact, only God saved her.
Within three months of his birth, we
noticed that he had breathing difficulty,
we thought he had catarrh, we took him
to the health centre around our area, the
health centre referred us to Mercy
Hospital, Lagos Island, Mercy in turn
directed us to the General Hospital, Ikeja,
where he took treatment for two years
before we were again referred to LUTH.
He has been taking treatment at LUTH
since then. Now we are asked to cough
out N3.5million to take him to India for
surgery. We can’t afford it, I think we
have to end it here, God knows we have
put in all we have to make him live,”
Hammed said he tried to control tears,
rolling down his cheeks.
But his community is determined to have
Mustapha’s life saved. The Secretary,
Adeyemi/Arowojobe Community
Development Association (AACDA), Mr.
Sunday Akanni Alade, who described the
Hammeds as very good and loyal
members of the community, said they
have been doing everything, including
assisting the young boy’s parents with the
daily N5,000.00 payment for his oxygen
and appealed to good spirited members
of the public, corporate institutions,
governments, non-governmental
organisations (NGOs) and religious
bodies to come to their assistance to save
the little boy’s life.
“The parents are completely down; this
new call for N3. 5million for an operation
on the boy seems to have made them to
finally give up hope on him because they
have no such money. We, therefore,
appeal to members of the public to come
to their aid, an account number
3075352003 has been opened in the
name of Hammed Mustapha Ramadan
with the First Bank of Nigeria, donors are
urged to make their contributions to the
account,” Alade pleaded, assuring that
contributions would be judiciously used
to save the little boy’s life.
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