About 17 children, including a four-month-old baby with Hydrocephalus disorder, would benefit from a medical mission being carried out by medical experts drawn from the University of Nigeria Teaching Hospital (UNTH), Ituku-Ozalla, Enugu State, and the United States of America (USA)-based Neurokids Foundation.
Already, four children with the disorder have been operated upon by the experts at UNTH, and are recuperating effectively.
Hydrocephalus children have excessive brain fluids that make them experience abnormal growth in parts of their body. It could also be described as a neurological disorder caused by an abnormal buildup of cerebrospinal fluid in the ventricles (cavities) within the brain.
The excess fluid, according to experts, can cause ventricles to widen and put harmful pressure on brain tissues in children. In the process, enlarges their head and brain.
One of the coordinators of the project and Consultant Neurosurgeon at UNTH, Enoch Uche, told journalists that the project is a collaboration between UNTH and U.S.A-based Neurokids Foundation for treatment of children with excessive fluids in their brains, which leads to enlargement of their heads.
He explained that the aim of the surgery is to bypass the obstruction that causes the excessive brain fluids in children to make them normal.
Uche disclosed that Neurokids Foundation provided the expertise and equipment needed for the surgery, adding that they were happy to witness the multi-million naira project in UNTH.
He, however, called on the Federal Government to make treatment of children with the disease free to complement efforts of the Foundation.
Chief Resident Neurosurgeon of the UNTH, Dr. Mbaeri Ikechi, urged the government to participate in the project and help to subsidise the treatment for children.
He explained that they were using the endoscopic method to treat the children to ensure that they do not have any foreign body, adding that they had successfully treated some children, including a four-month-old child.
Ikechi disclosed that over 17 children have been enrolled for treatment, adding that Neurokid Foundation is providing expertise and equipment, while UNTH is subsising the care.
The Chief Medical Director of UNTH, Dr. Obinna Onodugo, expressed happiness over the partnership, stating that it had helped to complement local efforts at the teaching hospital.
He said that the government can sponsor those who need the surgery but cannot afford the cost, to reduce the number in the country.
