Story by Abigirl Tembo, Health Editor
JOY and hope have replaced fear and despair in several homes across Zimbabwe, as children who underwent open heart surgeries under a government-led initiative are now living healthier, happier lives.
In Harare’s Highfield suburb, three-year-old Darlington Junior Sango is seen kicking a ball with all the excitement of a typical child, but his path to this moment is a powerful story of pain, faith, and a life-saving miracle.
“Soon after birth, I noticed something was wrong. He constantly had flu and a cough. We were referred to Parirenyatwa Hospital because he had trouble breathing. Doctors initially suspected pneumonia, but tests later revealed he had a hole in his heart,” Mrs Felistas Sango, Darlington’s mother narrated.
“It would trouble me seeing my son struggling to breathe. They told me to seek treatment in India, and I was really pained because my husband and I didn’t have any money, let alone a passport, so it was devastating.”
Across town in Kuwadzana, Bongani Taruvinga, mother to little Owami, shares a similar emotional journey.
“When I realised that Owami had a problem it was too late, she was already nine months old. All the time, she was always sick, and since birth she was a sickly child. I would spend most of my time in the hospital with her. I was really shocked when my child was diagnosed with a heart problem and they told me to raise money to get the operation done in India.
“I even took my appeal to social media and some people contributed. I approached social welfare, and the medical officer referred me to Dr Machawira at Parirenyatwa Hospital and that’s when I was told about the open heart camp. My child was screened and became patient number four. The surgery was successful.”
The parents, now regulars at Sally Mugabe Children’s hospital and Parirenyatwa Group of Hospitals were informed about a government-sponsored open heart surgery programme being carried out at Parirenyatwa by local and visiting specialist doctors from Egypt.
With fear and hope in equal measure, they consented.
“On the day of the operation, my mind was not settled. The operation took six hours. I remember in the first two hours, my husband and I would pray without ceasing, but after that, no one could pray.
“We just sat and watched the clock. We were not sure if our child was going to come out alive, but when the doctors came and told us that the operation was successful, we were very happy and after three days, we were discharged,” Mrs Sango said.
“When my child was admitted to the theatre, I don’t want to lie, I cried a lot. The doctors had to take me back for counselling again. I had no faith in the doctors at Parirenyatwa, but after the operation, my faith has been restored,” Taruvinga added.
The impact of the successful surgeries has reached beyond immediate families, touching entire communities.
“Junior was so small, and he wasn’t growing in size. When she told me he was two years old, I couldn’t believe it. He couldn’t play with other children and would always be crying at night. When she told us he was going for an open heart operation, we didn’t think it would be successful. But after the operation, he recovered completely. Every time I see him, I feel the grace of God,” Angela Chikwamate, Mrs Sango’s neighbour, said.
“Owami is now fine, we are really grateful to the government and the doctors for this free open heart programme. As neighbours, we felt their pain, and now we feel their joy and rejoice with them,” Parlance Moyo, Owami’s neighbour, said.
“I would pray for Owami every day because she was a sickly child. I would like to thank the government and the doctors because we never imagined that we would see Owami this day,” Mrs Susan Moyo added.
The success of the initial surgeries conducted last year has paved the way for more life-changing operations. Another open heart surgery camp is scheduled to begin this Sunday at Parirenyatwa Group of Hospitals.
“The beautiful thing about heart disease is that once the children are operated on, you start seeing them grow. It’s such a delight for the parents and even for us as healthcare workers.
“Those 10 children are an indication that there is hope after a child has received surgery. What we hope for is more camps like these, and more importantly, we hope to eventually do these procedures on our own locally to cover more patients and work on our backlog faster,” Dr Davidzo Murigo-Shumba, a specialist paediatric cardiologist said.
Darlington and Owami’s journeys symbolise the transformative power of Zimbabwe’s commitment to strengthening its healthcare system. Through a combination of local expertise, international collaboration, and visionary government support, children once condemned to pain are now playing, smiling – and living.
