Congenital Heart Disease Awareness Week: uMhlanga professor speaks on matters of little hearts
During this week, children and adults living with congenital heart disease (CHD) are honoured and encouraged to share their stories.
CONGINENTAL Heart Disease (CHD) Awareness Week, held yearly from February 7 to 14, was initiated to raise awareness for the most common type of heart defect.
The week also honours all children born with the condition, their families and scientists.
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One such scientist who has devoted 50 years to corrective heart surgery in children is retired professor, Rob Kinsley. He spoke to Northglen News from his home in uMhlanga about the advancements in paediatric cardiac care as well as the challenges the public healthcare sector faces.
Over his 55-year span as a paediatric cardiac surgeon, he has performed and assisted with corrective surgery on over 15 000 children.
Last year, the professor was awarded a lifetime achievement award in 2016 from the Society of Cardiothoracic Surgeons of South Africa (SCSSA) and a similar award again in 2023 from the KwaZulu-Natal Doctors Healthcare Coalition for his dedication and contribution to the medical profession.
“Congenital Heart Disease is one of the most common defects that exists. Every year, 300 000 babies are born in Africa with CHD, and sadly, many go undiagnosed. Those who are diagnosed don’t always get the corrective surgery that they need to go on to live full and healthy lives. This is due to the fact that the public healthcare system simply does not have the resources and skills to save everybody,” he said.
Funding
Prof Kinsley said this is where the private sector can assist if there is enough funding and more trained paediatric cardiac surgeons.
“I started and ran the multi-disciplinary paediatric cardiac team at Netcare Sunninghill Hospital in Johannesburg for many years before I retired. The unit was the legacy of Walter Sisulu and was called the Walter Sisulu Paediatric Cardiac Foundation. It gained full support from the then-president, Nelson Mandela, and received major international cash injections – just what we needed to save the lives of those children who were on a waiting list for heart surgery. In KZN, the situation is not any different. Chief Albert Luthuli Hospital experiences the same problem and has 500 patients waiting for heart surgery,” he said.
In 2019, Prof Kinsley founded the Children’s Cardiac Foundation of Africa at Lenmed Ethekwini Heart Hospital, which provides surgery to children with CHD who are on a waiting list at Chief Albert Luthuli Hospital as well as children from all over Africa.
“These children go on to live normal lives. Others with CHD can, too, if they receive medical intervention on time. Virtually every single congenital heart disease case can be corrected, but the situation is dire. Probably 1 000 or more are born with CHD every day, and only 5% are operated on. Cardiac surgery is expensive. The state cannot keep up to provide this service,” added Prof Kinsley.
He said the private sector, however, does have capacity to help these children, but massive donations are needed to provide this surgery, which is what the foundation relies on.
Performance beyond prophecy
“We also need more doctors to be trained. The private sector will have to pave the way with paediatric heart surgery,” he added.
The greatest pleasure for him, Prof Kinsley says, is receiving emails from patients he had operated on in the past who update him on their lives. Many are well into adulthood, some doctors and surgeons themselves and married with children.
“When we launched the foundation, I met a young girl who is now a paediatric cardiac anaesthetist. In my 50 years as a cardiac surgeon, I have witnessed performance beyond prophecy. Conditions can now be corrected, but it was not like that in the past. We learnt from our failures and successes,” said the professor.
“Cardiac surgery is not a one-man show. It’s a team effort involving a coordinated action between surgeons, cardiologists, anaesthetists, perfusionists, nurses and others. One weak link in the chain, and the operation is doomed to failure,” he added.
He encouraged those who plan on studying medicine to consider a career in cardiac surgery and to give paediatric cardiac surgery training some thought.
“It’s a tough career. I have missed many birthdays and special occasions, but my career has been a very rewarding one. Hard and tough but very rewarding,” said Professor Kinsley.
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