10 children off to South Korea for corrective heart surgery

KOTA KINABALU: Ten children between six months and 15 years old were
recently flown to South Korea to undergo corrective heart surgery.
They were under the sponsorship of the Korean Food for the Hungry
International and the Society for the Sabah Heart Fund (SOSHF).
According to SOSHF president, Datuk Christine Tibok-Vanhouten at a
ceremony held for the patients and their families near here, they are
thankful to the Korean Food for the Hungry International for their
assistance.
“The Korean group will take care of our patients well. They will
sponsor for the cost of surgery, lodging, food and so on,” she said.
The role of SOSHF in this respect is to come up with the monies for
the airfare, insurance, passports, winter clothes and some pocket cash
for the children and their one accompanying parent.
She added that since they began collaborating with the Korean Food for
the Hungry International, they have already sent a total of 40 heart
patients from Sabah to Bucheon Sejong Hospital to undergo corrective
heart surgery.
This year also marked the 30th anniversary of the SOSHF, said Christine.
“Since our inception, we have already sponsored 503 heart patients to
undergo corrective heart surgeries,” she said.
Aside from South Korean, patients under the SOSHF sponsorship are also
sent for treatment at the Institut Jantung Negara (IJN), Gleneagles
Hospital in Kuala Lumpur and Penang Adventist Hospital.
The cost of treatment for congenital heart patients in the country
range between RM30,000 and above.
“It depends on each case. Some cases that are complicated will incur
more costs,” she said.
She added that they hope to assist more people suffering from
congenital heart disease and urged members of the public and
corporations to render their assistance on the matter.
For more information on how to assists SOSHF and congenital heart
patients in Sabah, please visit the NGOs website at
http://sabahheartfund.com.
Also present to send off the children was SOSHF honorary secretary, Eva Susau.
Ends.